Amber Eyes
by Shinigami Hilde
Summary: What if the Shikon no Tama never existed but Naraku did and he still killed Kikyou? What if Inuyasha was never pinned to that tree and Kagome never fell through the well? :AU Parody:
1. A Meeting with Benefits

Amber Eyes

By: Shinigami Hilde 

Disclaimer: The idea is the only thing I own. Literally. The characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei and some of this belongs to my best friends Liz and Rem both of which whom I could not have done any of this. Love you guys and thanks! : D 

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IMPORTANT!!! A.N. This is a "what if?" type AU fic. As in: "What if the Shikon no Tama never existed but Naraku still killed Kikyou? What if Inuyasha was never pinned to that tree and Kagome never fell through the well?" Well this is Liz, Rem and my take on it. : ) It's in an RP format because that's how the story twisted up as, so basically after the first four paragraphs every paragraph after is a different person. Also, you won't learn names till near end of this chap. ^^ Read, Enjoy and Review please. : ) 

Chapter 1: A Meeting With Benefits

Lips streaked in a bright crimson red, eyes dabbed with a violet shadow that brought out the amber specks in her eyes, mascara painstakingly added to her long eyelashes, earrings that sparkled under the faded moonlight, a skirt of tight black that rode high, a chain connected to the loops about her tiny waist, a shoulder revealing, tight spandexy top and all topped off with spiked black knee high boots that looked to be velvet on the outside. Her hair tumbled abreast her bare shoulders and back like a raining water fall-glistening with highlights of a violent sky blue-all natural. She stood along side a low brick wall, one foot up against it-her very form rivaling everything the stars had to offer. This was all she knew. The one way for a girl to survive on the back streets without a job or a home to go back too.

It hadn't been a good week. She'd barely gotten 12,000 ¥ out of the last person. She sighed and ran her slim fingers down her thigh to yank her boot up a bit, and then shoved herself off the wall. If she didn't get something more soon-then they'd come after her. They wouldn't tolerate late payments-and they expected her to get it any way she possibly could. Didn't matter how, where or what with. "Just Get It and we won't slit your brother's throat." was all they'd ever say. Her brother...the only person she had left in the world-and he was deathly ill and in their hands! Thus- the reason she was out on the street and dressed like this. There was no other way for her to get money in this town. Especially with a pretty much sick economy to boot. She began to walk down the sidewalk, and lifted her head to the darkened skies. Passion was a poison, and that poison was her undignified business...Why did her parents have to die and leave her and Souta with such heavy debts to pay these people? She shuddered as she walked. "someone-please hear this...save my life…"

The soft chime of bells rang out as a glass door swung closed, fallowed by a clatter of impact that shuddered the door frame all the way up to the rickety half lit sign of the corner convenient store. It was all that really gave the boy away as he padded along, silent in step his grayed sneakers baring the wear and grime of many a stride through the town barely peeked out from beneath the hem of those oversized pant legs. Black with a striking pattern of crimson dashed here and there, the article itself barely clinging to the slender waist of its wearer. Perfectly pale skin bared to the night air between the smooth line of the leather belt and the torn hem of a black shirt kept just a size too small, leaving very little of his lean toned physique to the imagination beneath its black cotton surface. "Got Sakè?" decorated the front in a scrawl of white kanji, half framed in locks of deep raven. The same raven that reached down his back and buried his small dirty tan shoulder pack, that budged out with its contents, the scratched and scuffed toes of roller blades poking out between the packs zippers. He paced along seemingly more interested in a can of atomic mints than where he was really going. His black cap pulled down firmly over his head and for the moment casting a partial shadow over that boyish face as he picked and tried to pull apart the wrapper

He was striding up the side walk , still fussing with the little tin as he carefully maneuvered it between slender clawed fingers. Trying to pick off the plastic seal without gouging the little thing in the process. Mumbling sourly as he blindly strode into the street and continued walking along as if nothing was amiss...all while a few vehicles slammed on there breaks and swerved around him, drivers hanging out of windows and screaming at him. One small coupe couldn't stop fast enough, and only a rather smoothly done bound ahead spared the boy from being run over by a mere two inches. That thick mess of raven black whipping around his slender frame as he landed on the side walk...and practically stepped on the fretting star-gazing girl. Shadowy violet orbs were drawn wide as he rose to his toes and flailed his arms in a desperate effort to avoid walking into the girl. A sweat drop rolling down as he managed a hurried little.... "...EH! Look out woman!"

She cheeped herself and took a steadying back-step-her kohl black lashes beating fast against her pale cheeks-as she deftly kept herself from toppling over in her boots. Her slim brow went up kind of as she got a glimpse past him at the mess of the street he'd managed to make just walking across it, and then looked at him, her eyes instantly going half-lidded. He looked scruffy to say the least...definitely not one with much money in his back pocket...which ever pocket that was in those pants...but looking past that

she saw right off that he looked yummy all the same. Problem was-no matter how good looking he was-did he have money? She sighed and licked her red lips, smoothing out her spandexy top carefully responding in a sultry tone that she'd learned to use with almost everyone outside of "their" headquarters. "...Would say the same for you, honey." She flicked her head in the direction of the car pile-ups behind him

He managed to regain his balance with a soft huff, looking back over his shoulder with an annoyed expression. Giving the girl a shrug. "They're the idgits who don't know how to drive…" He took a moment to look the woman up and down, she was a fetching looking thing but the closest club around here wasn't for a few miles still, and ladies time was over at most of the clubs. His nose crinkled a little as he drew a sigh, he thought he was lucky and bumped into a pretty one on the street...but her scent alone dashed his little hope. Peering down he poked a claw again at that wrapper and finally unwound it from the tin, flipping the cover open and offering to the girl. "Hot cinnamon mint?"

It was funny how she wasn't wearing much of a scent...maybe a bit of Lilies from her hair-but that was about it. "...Sure they don't." She murmured with a warm, but sly little smile. She gazed at the mint he offered her then-and shrugged half-heartedly. "...Why not? Might be the last bit of anything to chew on I'll see in a while…" She took the mint and placed it between her lips, and looked at him again. "...What's a nice kid like you doing out here at such an extravagant hour of the night?"

"Just got off work." He muttered lightly before popping a mint in his mouth, the tip of fang briefly baring. He gazed to the girl again as he pocketed closed the tin and stuffed it into his pocket. "And your not punching out for another couple of hours eh?" Yes he was quite well aware of what she was doing out here, not like she was keeping it a secret in any means.

She sighed and smiled wryly and sadly at him, shaking her head slowly, an unhappy look pasted on her features, even with the smile there. She entwined her fingers in front of her, and sighed. "Wish I could." She said quietly with a somewhat broken voice. "-But this is the only way I can make enough money." She trailed off kind of and bit the mint in half in her mouth.

He couldn't help but twinge a little at her saddened look and dropped act, the first thing running through his head was the one simple question..."why then was she out here?" He shook his head a little and muttered. "Not really the only way, there's a club down on main street that's always looking for dancing girls." He shrugged a little and pulled up his sliding shoulder pack with a little toss.

She shook her head. "Can't…" She said tersely-Oh she had a reason for not going and joining up with the clubs. A real good one-but she wasn't about to alleviate her problems on someone she'd barely known ten minutes-not even knowing his name. Course that could only take a question to discern. She smiled at him again-but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Nice thought though...You have a name?" 

"Whatever you feel like calling me…" Shrugging again, he stated it simply and plainly as if it actually made sense...but he did have a good reason behind it, and he wasn't about to divulge it to some chick he nearly fell on top of ten minutes ago. He flashed her a little smirk knowing how confused she'd become in a moment before motioning. "Look...my apartment is down the street, if were going to talk we'll talk there."

The name part didn't confuse her. She understood that perfectly well. Many of her clients never divulged their names to her for privacy and legal reasons. So she shrugged that off. The next thing he said-that confused her a little however. She blinked at him and lifted her perfectly crafted brows up to express it. "... You're not taking me on are you?" She asked silkily-but seriously all the same also stating the question as more of a fact then an actual inquiry. How she managed that was a wonder-but she did.

"Nope…" He chuckled softly as he strode down the side walk on his way, tucking his hands in his pockets as he gave those lengthy locks of raven a little rolling flick. "You just finished muttering under your breath that you'd not know when your next meals coming from....I have some left over okonomiyaki at home and it'll be a good enough payback for almost pounding you into the concrete." 

She blinked again...and rubbed her right arm with her left hand, looking sort of down and diagonal-pondering this. True-she had said that...but the longer she was gone without getting money the closer that syndicate would come to slitting her little brother's throat. What could she do? She sighed-maybe she might be able to get something besides food out of this anyway. Looking up she, nodded slowly, conceding and began to follow him. "How far off is your apartment?"

"About one block from here." He slowed down enough to let her ketchup, his dull colored orbs flicking towards her as he muttered. "If you hang out too much longer out here anyway the authorities will pick you up instead of a client....you know only "licensed" prostitutes can work the streets," meaning the ones who's pimps could pay off the authorities. "Somehow you don't look that lucky."

She smiled wanly at him...as she came up to his side, her boots clicking on the sidewalk as she did. "You pinned me down well…" Her smile slid off her face then, and she looked off to the side-seeming to loose herself in the bushes of midnight-blooming flowers that grew there. "...But-I do work for someone...technically…" She murmured offhand.

Keys jangled softly as he plucked them out of his pocket, in the girls night gazing she failed to notice the small gravel walkway they veered off on. Looming just ahead was a small apartment building, its two levels run down but kept quaint with the owners uncanny eye for floral décor. Ivies crept up the walls, there colorful dew kissed buds gleaming in the moonlight. Small bushes and even a few well pruned trees decorating the otherwise drab gray front. the boy was just ahead of her, past the front door and up the cleanly swept wooden steps to the second floor without a sound. All the while calling back. "He must enjoy making it harder for you, working some neighborhood instead of downtown."

She noticed all this soon enough-and marveled at it with slightly agape ruby red lips as she quietly followed him up the path-careful of where she stepped because of her stiletto spiked heels. She flicked her dark, misty orbs back to him when he spoke-and stopped just behind as he fished around to open the door. "...Mm...He hates me-hated my family...when I had one…" She cut herself short then...and shook her head quickly as if to clear it. "...Did you do all this gardening by yourself?"

Each and every step the woman took, even as she shadows the boy creaked and groaned loudly with each step. The hanyou actually peered over to her as a dark brow arched. "Kinda...I do all the tree trimming and vine pruning...I'm the only one here not afraid of heights." He really grew curious as she mentioned her family...but a click later fouled up any attempt to question. The door swinging open to a small three room apartment, the main area being the largest...if you could call a thirteen by twelve room large…with a kitchen and bath that was just about the same when put together. What seemed the most curious was the fact the place seemed barren, save for a beanbag chair, a table and a two shelf wooden cart that held the TV and stereo. Everything else, from the phone to clothes were on the floor all be it placed neatly. The boy strode in and gave a nervous little chuckle. "I uh, only moved in here about two weeks ago." 

"It's beautiful work all the same…" She murmured, admiring it one last time before she stepped into the small apartment-which in her terms at this point in her life-she could consider to be a palace...barren or not. Of course-she'd been in much smaller and dingier places too...It's amazing what kind of people will have money-and what they'll blow it on...sad thing was-a few of those people were really good-and she didn't have to fake anything. She smiled at him as she shut the door. "It's ok...really. At least it's not a card board box." She attempted a lame joke.

He gave another little chuckle as she bought it...truth was he'd been there a good six months. The strange accommodations were out of personal preference, yet she'd not have to know that as he kicked off his shoes and stepped in. The girls salvation coming into sight as that shoulder pack was lightly tossed aside, crashing to the floor with a loud clatter of plastic. One skate bursting the zipper wider and tumbling out, with it came a slim black leather wallet that plopped lightly on the floor. Meanwhile the hanyou motioned to the beanbag chair. "Make yourself at home, I'll heat the okonomiyaki."

It didn't matter to her either way. She would have said that if he'd told her he'd been living in here for two years. She sat to gracefully pull her boots off her feet and set them down neatly-the neck of each boot folding over itself, and turned her face to him as he motioned to the beanbag chair. Her brows knitted up a bit and she smiled her warm ruby red smile and turned around to get on her knees and hoist herself back up delicately-in such a way that her tight leather skirt wouldn't show off to much. "Thank you…" She said and stepped in further peering about more first.

He disappeared into the kitchen the next moment, rummaging through the fridge that held just as many curiosities as the rest of the apartment did. Holding barely a jug of water and a few veggies...unlike a normal guys fridge that would be filled to bursting with Bud lights, ahh but the cupboards made up for it...one after the other filled with instant food. Ramen, miso soup, ramen, wonton, ramen, cans of spaghetti-o's, ramen...oh yeah...and ramen! The microwave clicked loudly as it hummed to life...the boys

tone calling from the kitchen. "You don't mind squid do you?"

She blinked as she poked around at the small entertainment system-picking up random video games and looking them over. She glanced over her shoulder, and shrugged, not that he could see it. "As long as it's not alive it's fine...never could stomach live squid." She answered, dropping the Gran Trismo game back down and picking up-Wheel of Fortune?...She blinked. Whatever. And dropped that too. Standing up then she moved to peer into the kitchen and just kind of parked herself against the door frame, watching him. "...Not into the very nurtitious department are we?" She teased with a light smirk.

There was the sound of bare feet padding across the floor and a taller form looming above the girl, not to be intimidating, but the fact that she was in the doorway. brushing his black silk buttoned up oriental shirt revealing a body hugging white t-shirt, his form wearing black slacks. "Ahem." Came his soft rolling voice.. when she turned around she would meet a gentleman about five foot ten, with shoulder-length black hair with brown highlights and square glasses 

A stark contrast to the boy clad in a baseball cap, oversized jncos and a black tee a size just snug and ripped at the hems to fit. He peered over to the girl and flashed her a wry smirk. "Guys gotta do what he can...eh?.…" He took one look to the fellah looming behind the girl and blinked. "Miroku...your back awfully early." He muttered before popping the microwave door open and carefully removing the two boxes of Japanese pizza, Holding one out to the girl. "You didn't get kicked off the trip again did you Miroku?"

She blinked hearing a voice behind her-and feeling body heat too-she spun around-and backed up into the kitchen-and stared at the guy in the doorway. She looked sideways at the boy-and took the pizza with a slight nod, turning her head back to the guy. "You didn't tell me you had a room mate…" She said-silkily, and fluttered her lashes. He was quite the looker too-but for some reason she preferred the grungy look of the kid who'd brought her here.

He arched a brow, his glasses sliding down his nose a bit before he pushed them back up. Slipping past the girl, he reached over and nabbed up two containers of applesauce and spoon, not even giving her a

second look. "Guy's gotta have some time to behave there, mate" He smirked and he flopped in that chair, legs crossed and he tore open the label. "It's been postponed until further investigation is had."

"I'll let Rick know then....he's short handed right now." Snatching up some eating utensils he motioned to the woman out of the kitchen and to the main area. Slipping off towards the windows to slide open the drapes, letting the moonlight shine softly through the double windows. "I'd rather eat in here, better view." He gazed to the woman the next moment as he joined her at the table, setting down her knife and fork. "Reheated pizza, finest in town." 

She didn't have much to say to this...She also had no idea what the kid and the guy were even talking about-but she found it was usually best not to pry...Got her beat up enough times back at headquarters... Not that these two would do that...but best not to take chances. So she just nodded and knelt down to eat the pizza and hope that Rosalyn, the other local strumpet, hadn't taken her spot up too soon or any money she could have had tonight would be in that bimbo's pocket instead of helping her free her brother

Miroku rose to stand, tossing the first cup away. "Yeah, well you do that, mate." He looked at the girl and motioned. "I've seen you before, I know I have." He removed his glasses.

He only then answered the girls question after a big mouthful of the stuff. "He's kinda like a roomie, Cats the better name for him, he'll leave abruptly and be gone for three months. "peddling" his employers silks and tapestries to potential customers." He flashed a smirk to the guy before carving himself out another bite. 

She looked from one boy to the other and nodded once. "...Sounds kind of like what I do...except more legal." She said dryly, and looked up at the guy the Nanashi guy had dubbed Miroku. She nodded at him too-though slightly stiffer. "I'm sure you have...I-have a way of getting-around…"

Miroku's dark eyes just glared daggers at him, fingers going around the spoon handle like he wanted to jab it into his eye. he hates it when he refers to his occupation as such. "I don't peddle tapestries-I am a historian who focuses his attention and studies on Tapestries. I restore tapestries of ancient origin and trace their origin - I don't sell them" Wait-didn't he see her last with her face in his lap? shrug...Who knew.

He idly peered up at Miroku a moment, jabbing his fork through a piece of the okonomiyaki and waving it a little at him. "You stare at cloth, dunno how you can keep doing that without going insane."

She never did forget a customers face. Hence the reason she had said she'd ways of getting around. But she'd never let on that she remembered him. She just mingled around with her pizza more and listening to the overwrought sound of his voice as he corrected his "semi"-roommate, and letting her eyes travel across the floor till it landed on something that caught her eye. "Gotta do what your best at to make your living worth while…" She interceded on Miroku behalf, taking her eyes from the object and looking at them again.

Miroku switched his hips a bit. "It's interesting, truly." Shrug and move towards a corner and picked up his box of materials.

That dark brow tick-tick-ticked a little, though the boy chose to ignore his roomies banter as he stuffed the last bite of the pizza in his mouth. His gaze flicking back up to the woman sitting across from him... "Do what your best at huh? Speaking from personal experience or plain wishful thinking?"

She sighed, and popped the last tid-bit of pizza in her mouth, closing her eyes very briefly. "...Both-actually...Told you I don't want to do what I do. I'm almost forced to...but sometimes it's very gratifying...sometimes." She responded with a somewhat heavy handed look.

"Well, I'll leave you two be-I have some books to analyze about the mythology of Sengoku Jidai. they found several tapestries about five hundred years old with a few images and words they don't know. They think it involves their mythos." Miroku said with a wave.

"Good luck, If you need any help let me know…" He waves his roomie off to his work, idly waiting for him to be off before he turned to the girl. Sliding his empty box aside as he propped his elbows on the table and stared at her with those half lidded shadowy orbs. "...Why?"

She blinked at him-suddenly nonplussed by his intense but shadowy stare-taking in note that he looked really, really good when his face was like that-but she didn't make any comment on it. "Why...what?" She asked quietly. She knew what he was asking about-generally- but just the "why" was to general for her to answer...could be a why to any number of things..

"'Almost forced'" He calmly echoed back to her. "Why are you almost forced into this work?" A dark brow arched in curiosity.

She bit her lip and silently wished she had even a mug to hide behind. She didn't want to drag innocent people into to this evil twisted mess that her parents had gotten themselves into and left this world leaving her to take care of it. She looked down, letting her long bangs shadow out her make-upped eyes as she thought of some plausible explanation. "Family issues...sort of…" She muttered. "Family got in a mess with the person I work for...and I have to fix it...and this is about the only way I can under his rule....it's better then the other choice I could have taken…"  


"Who do you work for that rules in this way?" He was more musing at this point, pondering mulling over a few thoughts that he wasn't about to share anytime soon.

She smiled-at this question without humor. "...I tell you, and he finds out I'm as good as dead...and so it." She cut herself off again, and dropped her chin into one of her palms, the other hand playing with the silver chain hanging about her small waist. "Never mind."

His gaze remained locked on the girl a few long moments more, before he gave a light shrug and rose to his feet, gathering up the boxes and used cutlery. "So be it then, I don't want you killed over my curiosity." He though .never even looked at her while cleaning up, turning off to slip back for the kitchen.

She fisted her hand against her cheek hard, causing her nails to dig painfully into the soft skin there. Gods how she wanted to tell him. Everything-right from the start...tell him-or anyone else really- who'd help her..-and wasn't it just a half hour ago or something that she'd been walking down the street asking the stars for someone to save her from this mess? Help her and her brother be free of the syndicate and live normal lives? Was this who the kamis sent at her prayer? ...If it was damnit they were incredibly late! she'd been asking for release from this for so very long...and she was so tired. Dragging her hand from her cheek, she inhaled deeply and pushed herself up from the table and went to peer in the kitchen again. "....Do you really want to know?"

Miroku came back into the room, stripped of his outer shirt, just wearing his black slacks and form hugging white t-shirt, his hair pulled up in a tight tail on his head, nose in a book as he moved towards his own filing cabinet, characters written of name not seen in a long time.. A brother long since passed.... youkai tapestry he's working on.

He peered up from the running faucet, blinking in her direction as a curious expression flashed over the features of that boyish face. "I thought you'd be in danger for telling me?" He lightly shook off the freshly washed silverware and set them back into a respective drawer.

She nibbled at her finger and peered back over her shoulder at Miroku as he re-entered the room, and then looked back at the boy and sighed. "...I would...but...I want out so badly....they-have my little brother...and they're going to kill him if I don't either get the cash they want or do something drastic...-So do you want to know, or don't you?" She gave him a helpless look.

His expression shifted from curious to somewhat surprised, his only other reaction being the fact he'd picked up the tea kettle and began to fill it. "Yes...go ahead and explain what you can." The girl

looked a bit flustered, and he had a good remedy for that....he grabbed the can of tea setting the kettle atop of the stove he turned to face her once again, waiting.

Normally getting this kind of reaction she was getting from the boy after hearing something like that being said would cause an uplifted brow, but she didn't give a flying right now about how he reacted-she flicked her vision nervously back over her shoulder to the roomie, and then fidgeted it back to him. "...Not here...not now...Can you meet me somewhere-a little later...?" She asked then, hushed and chewing her lip. 

Miroku raised his eyes, frowning, slamming the book shut, turning and leaving the room…back to his own.

He blinked....his slowly nodded to the girl. "Where exactly? ....and by the way I'm Yatu, Maesao....since I didn't tell you it before, but I'm sure you understood why." He flashed her a little playful smirk to see if her worried mood would lift a little.

It didn't-she barely took in the name he gave her-she just nodded to what he said. "...Kagome...but I prefer Kags...um...there's a really secluded place I know of about a mile from here-north, north east direction.

It's supposed to be an abandoned warehouse-but it isn't. Just looks like one....how about there?" She asked, still hushed even though Miroku had left the room again. It wasn't him that she was worried about.

He quietly nodded to the girl before turning back towards the whistling kettle...starting to fish through the cabinets for cups... "so then your leaving now? Or are you staying for a little tea?" He set himself to picking out the tea leaves one by one and setting them in the first cup, not gazing up to the girl.

It was a good thing he wasn't watching too-after he had nodded-she eased up her tension just the tiniest bit-and her lips quirked up a tiny bit too and she scooted into the main room-quickly moving to the object she'd spotted earlier and swiping it up. She blinked back toward the kitchen-and worry-bit her lower lip again."...I think I better go for now…" She said-idly gazing at the floor for a few moments. "-But I will see you again-in about a half hour-right? No bluffing?" She asked in an anxious voice as she moved to the door and her Boots.

"Half an hour, I'll be there Kagome…" He peered up as he poured the hot water into the second cup , pausing long enough to watch her boot-back up and leave.

~End Chap. 1~ 


	2. Where Trouble Begins to Brew

Amber Eyes

A.N. Same disclaimer applies.

Chapter 2: Where Trouble Begins to Brew

Drawing close up on the half hour mark- or actually more pointedly- 10 minutes past it, the girl came stumbling kind of in the pitch dark of the night to the supposed warehouse. Seeing in the lot that no one was there just yet-or so she thought, she moved to sit against the brick wall and try to straighten out her very mussed and suddenly ripped in places, clothes-keeping her face well away from any light that dared to try and shine on her. Lucky enough some clouds had rolled in across the white-blue moon, and thus most light was cut off. She rested her forehead across her knees and loosely wrapped her arms about them-staring down at her shirt chain pretty much blankly as she ran over the events of the evening. After she'd left that boy's house she'd been picked up by one of her regulars...problem was she hated that one-and he- didn't much care for her either...just a general "toy" is all she was to him...and she got paid back for every time she did something he didn't like. She licked her lip, tasting salty copper-and smiled grimly, and shifted a bit...she was sitting on something...lifting a brow up slightly she reached down and discovered...the kid's wallet. She'd swiped it. She pulled it into her lap and began to rifle it. "Wonder what's in it."

It was a typical boys wallet, some kind of cheap black pleather with what may have looked like some bands skull and crossbones logo long since rubbed off from use. Within its fold the boys under the table pay was still tucked neatly into an envelope labeled the "Catwalk lounge"...its card pockets stuffed with bits of paper yet that's where the normality ended. Stuffed behind what looked to be his birth certificate card were around twelve more, each one a Masao Yutu, each one bearing a different birth date, different social number, each one older than the last spanning into the nineteen twenties. Other innocent pieces of paper tucked in neatly turned up as death certificates or GAP transcripts from Tokyo U, including a handfull of dropouts spanning thirty years, and finally a pair of marriage certificates. One dating a good twenty years back, the other so worn and tattered it was barley legible. The woman though wouldn't have too much time to gawk at these, for as fashionably late as she was the boy himself was just coming around as well, the sounds of roller blades cutting through the dirty back allies forewarning her.

"Ooh- a con-artist...though not very good if he uses the same name over and over..." She murmured to herself...but blinked as she scanned through the rest of it...Married 2 times? He's only-what? 21? She chewed over this a few scant seconds and then heard the sound of a line of wheels on two feet sliding through the gravel left on the rotten concrete. "Must be him..." she mused silently and stacked the wallet away quick as a flash, and sighed-shoving herself upright, and making sure the left side her face remained hidden for now...again she tried rather in vain to fix her rumpled and ripped outfit-but it wasn't much use...Damn that client...and she couldn't do anything to him because some way or other he'd gotten into high favor with the syndicate mob boss...She grit her teeth and leant against the brick wall with one hand, slightly doubled over, waiting for the kid to show.

A small white bottle apeared before the womans face, its little red label standing out with the bold white letters that spelled "asprin". A little bottle clutched between two claw like fingers that did a little dance at first to meerly entice, beyond them the soft clattering scrape that sounded like skates still echoed faintly in the allies though the boy was already standing poised before her calmly. Shadowy violet orbs lost in the darkness that surrounded the pair but she needn't look to know they were locked on her.

She blinked her one visible eye at the bottle and then at him, and chewed at half her lower lip. "What's- that for?" She asked quietly, standing up straight and clasping her hands behind her back, and resting all her weight on her right-heeled foot, other leg bent a little. She wondered what he'd be showing her aspirin for...if anything were hurt on her-aspirin wouldn't help. But, then, she wasn't entirely sure it was for her anyway, so the question hung, and the half of her face even vaguely visible just looked quizzical.

"You'll need it for later…" He stated simply as he flashed her a little smile, his gaze drawing from her and flicking up to the warehouse they both seemed be hiding behind. Offering not even the tiniest explanation but instead a query for answers. "So, you were going to tell me a story?"

"...What...?" She blinked...all she could think of was: "why?" But-she failed to ask for now. She grumbled something and nodded to his query. "Yup. We'll do it inside though...Come on." She saidand-grabbing his arm led him around the side of the warehouse to what appeared to be just a straight brick wall. She knocked in a pattern and a slot in the wall shot open. A few whispered words were exchanged between her and the person on the other side and the wall slid open to reveal a woman in slacks, rolled up sleeves and a pink apron. "Thanks Sango-chan…" The girl said out loud. "You have a room we can use right?" She looked back at the kid, slightly.

The lady called Sango nodded and smiled at her. "Anytime, doll. You know this place is always open for you guys. Come in; come in- before some one sees you!" She quickly ushered the pair inside the door and shut it behind them. 

With a nudge of his toe he glided along after the girl, a hand coming up briefly to pull his cap down snugly as he for the moment seemed more interested in the warehouses rooftop while he could. His gaze snapping to the lady clad briefly before taking her urging and pushing himself lightly along after the girl inside. Where now his gaze can get a little roaming time within this so called warehouse.

And so-called warehouse it certainly was. The whole inside was decked out to be a kind of tavern type place, with girls of every type-all hookers like Kagsey here, meandering about-talking quietly and

sipping drinks, looking over papers and there were a few males there too, though they also appeared to be hookers-all appearing to be hiding out as far as anyone could tell. Sango turned her head to glance at the boy, and smiled a little. "Welcome to a kind of "Underground Railroad" for the strumpets on the street...This place serves as a get away for all these poor chickens-place to hide from cops or abusive clients or even their Pimps...Please- this way…" She began to lead them off to a staircase in the corner.

He paused only long enough to bend over to undo his laces, he'd left his pack and the tattered Tee back in his apartment, opting for a sleek form hugging long sleeve black shirt that fallowed the move of every muscle that flexed along his slender frame. Binding the ends of the laces together he flicked his long locks of raven out of the way and rested those skates over a shoulder before nodding to Sango. Flashing her a little good-natured smile that hid his disgust at the reek of bad booze and unwashed 'toys' that hung in the tavern like smog. "...Cozy." The only word of encouragement he'd give before he soft footed along after the girl.

The girl smiled and waved to three girls and a guy she spotted in one of the opposite corners who were waving at her-and nudged the boy along to follow Sango, and elbowed the boy slightly, giving him a one eyed glare, definitely not falling for his false-happy look. "Thank you again anyway Sango-chan...I really don't know what any of us would do without you here…"

Sango just nodded. She knew well the grungy boy was no prostitute-but if one of her refugees trusted someone-well so be it. She would as well. She led them up the stairs to an actually cozy, coy hall with a few very nice rooms along the catwalk. She unlocked a door and turned to the two of them. "Right- here you are...private investigative quarters as per requested." She smiled. "Call me if you need anything Kagome-chan."

As Kags nodded a call came from the steps. "Sango! We got a new one…" 

"Aya! Be there in a sec. Kohaku! Gotta go for now- remember though- anything." And she hurried off.

"Eh-Heh…" She smiled wearily. "They're good people...You in first…"

"I'm sure they are, just caught in some bad luck…" He meant that in neither sympathy nor scorn as he turned that doorknob with a soft click and swung the door open. His gaze casually scanning the room as he strode in.

"Not really...Sango-chan started this place for a reason…" She murmured, trailing off sort of as she stepped into the room also, but didn't give it a look over. For what he saw though; the room was quite nicely done up-white walls a four poster bed, dressing table with mirror on it, chandelier hanging into the room casting a dim-ish but bright enough light down onto a warm colored carpet. Various pictures lined the walls and there was a comfy couch against the opposite wall from the bed. The girl went to the dresser and pulled out a small box-like thing and went to sit on the couch-opening the box- proving it a compact mirror-and beginning to tenderly lift her hair from the right side of her face-till she looked up. "Sit...used to be my room…"

She was basically peering up to and speaking with his skates, neatly set on the carpet where there was once a boy. Off to the right of the couch was where he ran off to; his head inclined a little as he peered up to the pictures hanging from the walls. His thumbs buried into the corner pockets of his jncos while he slowly toured each picture one by one. Making a side comment on the miko's statement. "Will I learn why it used to be yours as well?"

She sighed, and sat back, her knees cockney-eyed to each other as she lifted her hair off her face finally-revealing in the dim light a black eye-which she bit her lip and looked at in the small hand-held mirror-finding to her disdain she could barely open it. A wild wave of silent curses coursed through her broken soul-but they never showed on her exterior-never phased across her face. No one would know or hear them. Instead she took a slow breath and placed the mirror down, looking at him. "...Maybe…"

"Maybe? Hmm...well...start whenever then…" He tore his gaze away from the last picture in time to turn towards the girl, casually striding up to the couch she inhabited and plopping himself down unceremoniously at the opposite end.....Lounging back lazily against it, one hand pillowing his skull and the other laying across his stomach. His eyes on her expectant of her tale.

She gazed at him for a long moment, black eye included-nothing passing across her face yet. She sighed quietly and looked forwards. "Before I actually start...I need to know two things. Do you actually give a damn about me-and if so- why? I'm nothing but a street-cat to you."

He tilted his head a little to the girl and gave a small chuckle. "So an interrogation before hand hm?" He gave a light shrug and took up a stonewall defense disguised as a calm demeanor... "If I said I was curious would that satisfy you? Probably not...fine…" Shaking his head a little he smirked, the truth would probably freak the girl out so he placed it as watered down as possible. "I'm looking for a certain jackass...and your story so far sounds like something of his reiteration."

She shrugged a little, and fiddled with her tattered top. "Not an interrogation per sé...Just find it really hard to trust people now a days…" She eyed him and lifted one brow then. "Hmph...what'd he do? Give you a bad fake I.D.?" She muttered...and looked off sideways. She should have figured this wasn't for her sake-well, maybe she had-but it was a real bummer all the same. She sighed again and stood up walking to the dresser again and kneeling down before it. "So-want the whole spiel -or just the shit your looking for?"

A dark brow arched as a little waning smirk crept over that boyish face. "Yes...that's pretty much what he did…" He lightly scratched at his stomach before flashing a look over to the clock. "Give it all to me, we have the time."

"Keh…" She mumbled again-yanking out a bottle of bourbon and a couple glasses, coming back to sit down. "Maa...started all before I was born...my mother and father were in on this drug-dealing syndicate...they were main pushers as far as I know-and were the best in the business...but shortly after my little brother was born, it all went to hell. The syndicate boss had a new drug in the labs that was super addictive and really bad too- He called it Angel's Breath...well- Mama and Papa-not many morals- had enough morals to reject selling this major product on the streets for the syndicate...they were taken into custody by the Shichinintai-the boss's personal body-guards/money getters/whatever else he wants them to be...and Souta and I never saw them again. We had all reason to believe they were dead...

"It was a couple years after that we learned Papa had also owed the syndicate money-and a lot of it...he'd never paid up...So they came to get us. Souta had gotten really sick- and they were going to kill us both because of our parent's debts-but I couldn't let that happen. So I offered to work off the debts. Bankotsu- the Shichinintai's leader, thought about this and agreed-taking Souta away from me saying that if I didn't pay it they'd kill him...then they brought me in front of the big boss- Naraku-or Narcotic as he's called on the streets...He liked the idea of me working it off, and gave me two choices in which to pay it off-one was this and the other...had to do with the Angels Breath...which because of Mama and Papa-never did get to the streets. -Won't go into specifics with it though-" A coursing shudder ran through her as she said that-she poured out some of the drink and gulped a gulp of it-and with a slight gasp-resumed. "...Anyway, I chose this as the better of the two-regretting everything all the way...especially when I learned a little later that Narcotic owns ALL of the night-clubs and strip-joints in the Tokyo area-which is why I said I couldn't work at the one down the street from where we met...and…I-just want out…" She slid to a stop for a time being-staring at the floor sightlessly.

His demeanor held up till about the time she mentioned the Shichininai, dull violet orbs narrowing a little on the girl for a brief moment before resuming there placid state. The boy shifting a little to prop his chin lightly against his palm, letting his gaze wander off to the side as he silently devoured every shred of information. Though as the girl came to finish her tale and stare at the floor those orbs flashed towards her in a razor sharp intense sidelong glare. Deep in his head a voice screamed out the one word he could only allow to come out in a harsh hiss between clenched teeth he took care not to bear. "...Fool…" He lost sight of the girl though his heated glare didn't waver, all these years since that horrific day the boy had been on the hunt for Naraku...four hundred years he tracked the kami hanyou searching where ever misery lurked like a plague. In this day and age where most demons had left the material plane, or died out the scant few that dared remain took care to remain hidden from human eyes. Least this was the unwritten law among youkai that even the boy had abided by and thought Naraku would as well. He searched on description the past hundred years when he should have searched for his name! He hissed softly again and turned his face away from the woman as he dwelled on his choices now. 

She looked sideways at him, taking in his hissed *fool* in stride. So Narcotic was the one he was after. She sighed and stood again-walking to the dresser and dumping the bourbon bottle on it. She dug about in the top drawer finding some very good cover-up make up and applied it to her black eye with a deft hand. When she was done-she almost looked back to normal-and she dropped the make-up back in the drawer and shut it with a shove of her hip. Looking back at him again briefly she went to the door. "...Well- you have your information now...and obviously the guy you are looking for is the same as my-debt-collector for lack of a better word...so I'll be on my way." She pulled the door open and slid into the hall.

A clawed hand came to a light rest on the girl's shoulder the very moment she took that first into the hall. A light grip that turned firm enough to pull her back into the room, the boy casually sending her off back to the couch before he placed himself conveniently between the rooms exit and her. His form lightly leaning up against the shut door while he fitted his skates back on. "Not yet...I want to know where Naraku is....tell me this and I'll let you on your way, that's all I ask."

She glared at him then, as she fell back astride the couch, and sat up, elbows supporting her "...Unfortunately I haven't the slightest clue! I've only seen him once or twice-and it was never in the same place! I've heard he has a building in Tokyo Central...But I'm not positive-and I don't know where it's located." She pushed herself up off the couch and moved toward the door again, sidestepping around him and grabbing the handle again, looking at her hand as she did, frowning. "...Anyway-don't you think if I knew exactly where he was- I would have done something by now?" She added in a hoarse mutter-and again went out into the hall heading for the catwalk and staircase.

She'd not be that lucky...her shoulder was grabbed again and this time she was literally tossed down onto her bed, the boy remaining poised by the door as he drew a deep breath. "Then...tell me who your contact is.... You are paying him back somehow, and you don't look like the type to write a cheque." He sighed softly and opened that door a mere smidge, before peering up to her.

She would have screamed- but that would have been bad for poor Sango-chan- so she bit her tongue and rolled back to a sitting position again, keeping her hands between her knees and looking off to one side-frowning. "...I do...but.... He comes to me…" She murmured all to wearily, and peered up from under her bangs. ".... And before you ask- His visits are random. I don't know when he'll show next…"

He flashed her a little smile before he strode towards her seated form and casually popped a knee onto the bed beside her. A clawed hand reaching out to lightly run a fingertip along the side of her face to draw her attention away. While the other yanked the linen case off of a pillow, bringing the cloth around to vigorously scrub at the girls head, rub some of the make up off her face, and take some of her Lilly perfume off her chest before a deft free hand spun her around belly down onto the bed to give the linen a good scrub under the back of her skirt before he rose. Leaving the quite ridiculously defiled Kagome to lay there as he strode for the door, turning the case inside out to preserve the scent he'd gathered off her before turning. Flashing her a little meek smile that did little to cover the rosy tinge that had blossomed over his cheeks. "Don't worry on him then...Thank you for your help, but I still need a favor of you." He mentioned matter of fact as he twisted that door knob slowly, waiting to hear the loud SNAP of metal breaking from bolt before he casually tossed the door knob to her. "Stay here and don't think of coming out if you value your life." He gave her a little wave before he slipped out the door...shutting it from the hall and leaving the poor girl in a little bind.

Hey! The lily smell was her shampoo! She did wash you know. She gasped as he did this- what kind of queer was he?! As soon as he stopped she reached out for the vase that was on the dresser beside the bed and spun around and threw it directly at his skull, watching with a mute fury as he was struck and the glass shattered. She stood up then-almost unfazed and walked right out past him, stepping on his foot with her spiked heels as she did. "Yea- the fuck I'm sticking around...I have to get out of here. Sango-Chan's nice and all- but I don't want her involved with what I'm involved in in any way I said my contact was random- damn it I meant it! I can't stay here!" With that she sprinted from the room this time reaching the stairs and flying down them-looking two ways as she made to cross the tavern for the door.

He idly counted his blessings that the vase wasn't full of water lest his hair dye would have run. He sighed softly as he rubbed his head and grumbled. "Stupid girl.... Looks like she'll only complicate things.…" He muttered sourly as he too exited the room...But decided that the nearest window was potentially his better means out. Leaving the girl to race out the door for no reason at all.

"Kagome-sama! Kagome-sama! Wait up!" A boy came racing up to her though, before she reached the door and held her by the arm. "Before you go out there sweetie, I gotta warn ya...Eri-chan and Yuka-chan came in about twenty minutes ago from a run-they told Sango and I that some people were looking for you...be careful love."

The girl looked at him with a slightly wide eye."...Shit…" She murmured under her breath. "And me without this weeks payment…" She looked up at him. "Thanks Kohaku-kun...I'll take the warning to heart. Thank Eri and Yuka-chan for me too…" She patted him on the back.

He saluted her as she went out. "Will do."

She opened the door cautiously then and peered out to check

He had hopes of using the pillowcase smeared in her scent to draw out the members of Naraku's gang that really counted. But at the same time he didn't toss the linen away just yet, instead he carefully folded the article before slipping it into his pocket, pausing to idly gaze down from his roof top perch to the soft sounds of a door opening. Fine...he'll fallow the miko, hoping she'd lure out Bankotsu or one of his henchmen men out to play.

She didn't have too! The main-bean man Bankotsu-chan himself stood just beside the door the girl was about to exit-surrounded close at hand by his 6 other compatriots-all dressed in fine Armani suits-all with guns of various types and sizes, Bankotsu holding a 9mm-aimed right for where the girl's head would emerge. He grinned vivaciously as the wall creaked open, and signaled for Jakotsu and Rankotsu to watch around and ready their guns in case some idget tried to stop them. "Come on out pretty missy…" He whispered at the wall.

Unable to see behind the door she did slip out-trying to keep herself flat on the wall-but to little avail, as soon as she had exited she felt strong unmistakable arms grip her about the throat and drag her from the hole in the wall. She barely had time to squeak-let alone room to breathe as it happened.

"Ho-ho...looks like Ookami-san was telling the truth-Eh, Little Angel? You were ratting out Narcotic-weren't you?" He placed the gun to her head as the other six chuckled around him.

Well...all seven came to play with him...how sweet...now if the idgit squad had conveniently forgotten who the hanyou truly was then he'd have a very good advantage here. A nasty smirk spread over that boys face as he fished a small cell out of his pocket. Pausing only long enough speed dial his roomies pager....flashing the digits of 737-50-54164 over Miroku's little screen before the boy casually rose to a stand and sent that phone humming for Bankotsu's skull seconds before the boy himself leapt off the rooftop

"Gyeh! Intruder!" Mukotsu called out-spotting the boy just before he made that diving leap from the roof. Within an instant, short-fat-chubby man had shot something from his weapon that flew out at top speed and hit the boy in the head, exploding into a poisonous gas cloud-and enveloping the air area around him in swathes. "Gyeh heh heh heh...strong enough poison to knock out a bull…"

Meanwhile Jakotsu had spotted the cell phone and caught it before it hit Bankotsu. He looked it over, and then peered up to the cloud of shouki Mukotsu had delivered- and suddenly his eyes lit up and an open smile came to his face. Oh yes, he knew whom it was. "Eeee! It's-it's-! It's my sweet Inuyasha! -" He chirped so like a girl.

"Huuh?" Bankotsu blinked and turned around, then looked up at the boy, still holding the girl in his tight grasp. "...Ah! So it is! Old enemies never die do they?" 

It was a back alleyway and alley have grates and no matter what the temperature of the air would be, a soft silent rumbling of gray-white steam would emerge from the grate and darken with each passing second until it seeped a dusky purple hue with a myriad of sparkles. Anyone with half-a-magic sense would feel that was this was no youkai energy, nothing really felt before. Down the alley, one grate would budge up and soon be flung off the cement ground, flying into the air and away from them… something long, sharp and flickering in the light emerging, shooting through the air and arching through the air, straight for the...hopefully... waiting hand of Inuyasha 

Hmm... Now if only chubs was trying to poison a bull he'd have succeeded, instead of an Inu hanyou who unlike a corpse, grew stronger with age. His form bolted through the poison and landed on the asphalt in a crouch upon those skates, one hand shielding his sensitive nose while the other clutched the black obsidian sheathed weapon tightly beside him. With a snuff he rose to his feet and settled his hat back down, flashing. Jakotsu-babe a rather annoyed look before focusing on Bank. "Yeah.... Just like old times, never thought a corpse like you would survive this long without shriveling up into a papery-prune.... Ahh well. Lets reminisce shall we?" He pitched abruptly into a sudden lunge, his skates scratching a little as they hit pavement hard and pumped him forward...His form pivoting to the side as a clawed hand swung and the iron reaper enchantment flew, unleashing the lashing streams of chaotic energy right into the center of the group to break them apart. Least that was the wisest course, as the trailing edge of the spell struck the ground first unleashing a sizzling hot spray of tar and debris flying violently...Imagine what it would do to any unfortunate undead thug who was caught in its full blast?

All the girl could do was stare and listen in complete and utter disbelief...Inu-ya-sha…? Was that his true name-? She knew he was a con-artist, but to have a name like that...she suddenly began to notice an odd tingle that had been there all along, but she'd ignored...now it was suddenly clearer to her...youkai. and he obviously knew these creeps- and they knew him. She knew he wasn't normal-but youkai? She blinked and gulped, but had little time to do anything more.

"HO! Inuyasha- be glad too...After we get rid of this little snitch here...Lovely little chick isn't she? She'd look better mutilated. Isn't that right Little Angel?" He sneered down at her just as the boy began to leap and send his claw attack toward them. Bankotsu looked up, and grinned. "In fact...Looks like you'll be doing the honor for us my good hanyou!!" And he lifted the girl up in front of him to take the brunt of the attack instead, grinning all the while behind her back.

"Keh! I never get to have any fun with Inuyasha-chan." Jakotsu pouted.

Rankotsu rolled his eyes and bashed Jakotsu's head in once. "...Baka-yaro. You'd just rape him."

"Itaaa!!…" He rubbed his head. "Sooo?"

That fog which spurred the dusky purple with the myriad sparkles as it slithered across the ground… whomever held the girl, would feel a sudden blast of hot singing steam, but Kagome would not be burnt. If there was a knife to her throat, that would be pushed away, gun done the same - the fog coming between her and the weapon. The gaseous cloud expanded and took on the folds of a deep dusky moonlight purple cloak, sparkles like stars with an overall appearance of an unknown gender, but arms, not solid, but Kagome could feel the warmth would wrap around her, a mouth came to her ear-a familiar voice "Be still." And the gaseous cloak billowed up to engulf the pair, removing them the scene to somewhere safe - the roof.

It was a move that left the hanyou in the right position to unleash Tetsusaiga upon Banksie, and with the girl suddenly flitted from his grasp it left the cadaver two choices...suffer the blast of the spell or try to leap away right in range of the half-breed who was lunging just inches above the destruction. The fang flared to life and held poised in all its gleaming glory at the ready, slashing wickedly for the fool the moment his muscled even visibly twitched to flee. All the while the hanyou taunted. "Still hiding behind others, guess all of Naraku's morons share in his legacy for being a complete chicken shit!"

Something took the girl away- and of course he noticed. He growled and spun around to the other six of his men pointing at the fog that had just taken off with Kagome. "AFTER HER! She ratted out! Here's our proof! She broke code! She has to pay the price!" As the other members of his party scuttled off to catch the girl and the cloud-dude, Bankotsu spun around to face the hanyou again, with a dry smirk on his face. "Not hiding dipshit. Boy, you get stupider every century don't you? She has to die anyway, and what better way for her to go then by the very hands she betrayed Naraku too eh? Doesn't matter though…" He tossed his 9mm to one side and leapt up over the hanyou-racing around the corner of the building. Running off? Not quite.

Rankotsu meanwhile had upped himself on Kyoukotsu's shoulders and landed in front of the purple blob of sky-and he was quickly followed by the others-though not by Kyoukotsu himself-because that dude could just stand there and reach over a two-story building-freak is that big. "We'll try to make this easy. Just hand her over-don't care who you are or what your purpose is-and won't, if you just give over what's ours. Capiche?"

Kagome was caught in the folds of the gaseous being - she would be kept warm, but also felt slightly jelly-like, but it wasn't slimy or gross and nothing would come off her, but it grew, expanding like a phantom body, growing larger. Still, the cloak hid any type of gender, but a bishonen face was seen, dark eyes and an opal hued hair tinged dusky purple. Hands seemed to appear out of the folds, bending into claws and lashing out in a very solid sweep towards his body. If he should dodge the swipe, from the folds of his cloak would emerge a solid black cloud of black screeching bats that would just surround him, smack Rankotsu with those wings.

Not gross her left foot! She was in Jell-O! How is that not gross? She-was-sitting-in-freaking-purple-gooshy-Jell-O! She struggled to get out of it...she knew who it was- and that really he meant no harm- but really, slimy or not stuck in a human gelatinous fruit snack was not the way to go! And it was ripping her clothes more! She couldn't stand it really- and shoved her head out taking in a deep breath of fresh air-and whipping her head to the nearest Shichinintai. "WHO TOLD YOU I WAS RATTING??!!!"

The nearest was Suikotsu- the one who was a good-natured doctor at times, and a murderous killer at others. As the blob shot bats out for Rankotsu-aniki he shoved his claws into the goo-and began to pry the girl out. "..Heh heh heh...Wouldn't you love to know?"

Bankotsu seemed to forget something...the boy was on roller blades, technology made up for his half bloods lack of youkai speed. There was a loud bang above the fleeing corpses head, a shower of shingles gravel washing over the fools form seconds before the hanyou himself landed before him in a swift backwards roller glide. The fang oddly sheathed for the moment as the boy resorted to more...primitive measures. Bankotsu's nice Armani suit collar becoming seized firmly in the hanyou's hands before the boy pivoted and threw the fool in a wicked slam to the side of the warehouse! "...The hell do you think your going!?" He hissed as he ground those skates into the asphalt to bring him to an abrupt stop.

There was a hiss above and a pair of vampire like fangs gleamed in the moonlight as his hands shot down, latching onto the shoulders of Suikotsu...both like vices. His left hand slid over towards his throat and with a jerk, there would be the sound of crushing bones as he set to just decimate that right shoulder of Suikotsu, swearing up and down into Kagome's mind in soft whispers that she was a fool…she would have been safe within the confines of his cloak.

She ground her teeth: "You think I'm safe in here?!" :she shot back mentally. She didn't want to be stuck in here. She wasn't a street cat for nothing! She could damn well fight-but first she had to find out who the hell had ratted that she'd ratted...She'd kill them who ever they were. "Let me the hell out of here! I know you think I'm safe-"

Speak no more she had to not, for there are 6 after her-and one facing the hanyou. Two may have been Two may have been occupied with issues- but that left four others. And the biggest of all- Kyoukotsu went in for the grab bag-reaching his huge hand into the gooed cloak and grasping the girl dragging her out. Any bats that came for him wouldn't bug him in the slightest. "Kekekekekeke...Your dead…"

Bankotsu-having been thus slammed into a wall grinned at the hanyou all the same-he'd stopped him sure- but the dead-man had already gotten what he'd been after. "Nowhere, shit-for-brains." He taunted, and with one fell swoop lifted up his overly large halberd and took a large swinging fell swoop at the boy with it-and then rolled out of the hanyou's gripping range. "...Ah...-you know, it's always nice to be able to use my Banrayu." And he took a leaping swing for the boy causing his own wind with its velocity.

The hanyou only rolled his eyes at the sight of the monstrous halberd...granted the fang was a biiiiiiiig boy as hand-wielded weapons went but Banrayu was the one that went overboard. Of course the bigger the weapon the harder it was to maneuver...something the hanyou took right into account as he also lunged for Bankotsu. Tetsusaiga lead first, its swing smashing into the halberd from above and knocking it just a few inches below its intended course, the boy fallowing by slamming those skates onto the weapons shaft and executing a half twist-Ollie that granted him the altitude and momentum to unleash a lashing back kick that drove the blade of that skate right across the center of poor Bankotsu's face!

Bankotsu was smacked by the roller blades and knocked one against the wall, sliding down after leaving a huge indent he glared at the hanyou and wiped the blood streaks from his face-and smirked "...Still-as brutal as I recall…" He muttered, musing more to himself then to the boy, as he stood up slowly, and lifted up his halberd and began to spin it round and round, wicked fast to build momentum and a force to let loose when he finally brought it down. After building up enough he did bring it down, and smashed right through the entire parking lot-causing massive holes to erupt in the ground and knock lamp posts over spilling live-wires all across the ground...and to add to the effect- he broke the water lines- so the whole lot was now an electrified pool of water. He'd leapt onto a windowsill big enough to hold him standing straight to avoid it. Fun-fun!

The one his hands would be tossed away with the slightest of shoves, his own hands coming around to grab at the big man's hands as his own form began to expand. The area around Kyoukotsu's hands would begin to heat up, though Kagome would feel nothing, Kyoukotsu's flesh would began to sizzle as Kagome was forced out of his grasp, then exploded out of his body like food after a good binge, sent flying to another rooftop near by, her landing would be softened by the remaining cloth that was left around her. continuing his growing, he doubled over and just enveloped the giant, much like those creatures in Beast Master - secreting an acidic fluid into him that would just eat at his flesh and muscle.

Still gross- still nasty-she still wanted out. This wasn't helping much- and Poor Sango-chan! Her whole lot and warehouse was being destroyed! And it was all her fault! She knew she could never repay Sango-chan back for the mess that was happening now...little by little tears started up on her face. Even if these to bakas saved her- her brother was going to die now for sure, and Sango-chan would never forgive her for what was happening to the U.G.R...and now- because of her- Narcotic would know about the place, and come and take it down...Kill all hopes for any poor streetwalker out there. And it was all because of her...With all that gone and her brother as good as dead; she had nothing left, as far as she knew anyway. She struggled to move from the cloak. 

Jakotsu spotted her wriggling free-and with a bored look on his prettily painted face went to go help her out. The boss had wanted her back alive first off anyway. Funny how Bankotsu-oo-aniki had missed that crucial point...but he had-and maybe if he did what Naraku asked-he'd get something in return.

At this point the hanyou had it...He was furious and the gleam in the fang that he drew testified to it, those violet orbs narrowed dangerously as the hanyou rushed fast through the ruined lot. Flinching and stumbling a bit when a life wire brushed past a leg, when he saw the water rushing at him with electrical lines writhing like eels he knew he had to think quickly. He swung the blade fast before him, its own flash of power racing over the ruined ground and gouging it deeply to slow the rushing water enough to allow the hanyou to bound onto a toppled electrical pole, and leap up towards the building the fool perched on. Yet he also felt that windowsill was a good perch, that fang swung as he closed in slapping the halberd violently to the side to open the fool up to another kick.... This one to the side of Bankotsu's skull, all intent to knock him off that sill and send him to the pool below

Bankotsu headed for the pool-but did a double take and flipped around, landing on a jutting piece of ground in a crouch and spinning to look up at the hanyou in the window sill with a slight frown-his halberd pointed somewhat downwards. He then smirked. "Good try!" And pointed the point of the blade at him, beckoning him onward again.

"I bore of you…" He stated rather dully as he swung the fang over a shoulder and sighed. "If I can't get Naraku's whereabouts from you I'll just grab one of your lackeys.... One of them will gladly chirp his address to me." The point here was the hanyou wanted information, not the fool dead....and with a snug Bankotsu was left high and dry...literally...and the boy bounded up to the rooftop and vanished over its crest...the purpose of Kags became clear now as to why he didn't off the bat go after her...between her and Miroku none of the other six were going anywhere anytime soon.

Continuing his meal of the big guy, his head shot over his shoulder to spy Jackie… with a hiss, that lump was left and glided in giant strides towards the top to the edge of the roof, stepping onto the edge and leaping across like point here was the hanyou wanted information, not the fool dead.... And with a snug Bankotsu was left high and dry...literally...and the boy bounded up to the rooftop and vanished over its crest...the purpose of Kags became clear giant blob - he really didn't leap, just expanded and rolled, slithering and turning towards where Pretty boy was coming from - look out for the blob!

Kyoukotsu grumbled and rumbled and laughed all at once. It was a tickling feeling that this guy, blob, whatever was giving him-it was obstructing his course- but it didn't matter…He was melting slowly. He wasn't stupid-he noticed and growled out loudly enough to shake the very ground and the building he was beside. He shook himself hard-but this went two ways. One-it knocked Miroku into the sky before he reached Jakotsu, and sent him flying off into the black horizon effectively ridding the area of him, but in doing that he shattered himself because Miroku had eaten away at precious ligaments…What was to happen now?

~End Chap. 2~


	3. Inuyasha's Reason

Amber Eyes

A.N.: Same disclaimer. :P

Chapter 3: Inuyasha's Reason

Miroku had been blasted out of range. He cursed wildly as he forced himself to a sitting position and took a look around. Well, he was a good few miles from the fight now…Inuyasha could probably take care of the Shichinintai on his own. He wasn't planning of killing them just yet anyway…_"Besides…"_ Miroku thought to himself. _"I see a pretty girl who needs attention over there!-And I have to stop by that place and get that artifact before the night's out…"_ With this itinerary in mind he stood up, brushed himself off and headed for the girl and the pawn shop he'd seen the precious artifact. 

~*~

Bankotsu was of no use to him really and it soured him as he quickly cleared the leap that would land him on the buildings roof. Grinding his skates along the roofs edge. 

Inuyasha propelled himself swiftly along, the fang held behind his form casually in a reverse grip while the other clawed hand made sure that his hat remained put on his head. The hulking mess of ...err...what was that big guy reduced too now after the jell-o attack? Was the first dead give away that his prey was near. Idly convincing himself to disregard the threat of drawing in tajiya attention and just obliterating the bratty group off the damned roof top if he didn't get the info he sought! Age may have mellowed the boy but his patience was still notoriously limited, so was his knack for making violent entrances as his airborne form came crashing down in the midst of the remaining goon-troop, unleashing a cloud of dust and debris in his wake!

Rankotsu, meanwhile, had managed to flame all the bats about his head by this time and was dragging back his wires of flame as the charred bat bodies fell to the roof-top, he spied the arrival of the hanyou. So he'd become bored of battling Bankotsu-oo-aniki ne? Well-he'd have a tougher time tangoing with 5 instead of one-or more four- since Jakotsu was getting the girl. "Heh…" He lifted his arm up and sent the flaming wires down descending on the boy's form-wrapping about his wrists as he spat more flames down the way:: Mm…charred hanyou. Sounds like a treat.

Ginkotsu-rolled up on his huge tank wheels to help out his favorite brother Rankotsu, and aimed his double twin barrel cannons at the boy's head. "Gishi shi shi shi."

Jakotsu-hooked his arm around Kagome with a disgusted look and slid down to the parking lot with her to await further instruction-all the while playing with the hanyou's cell phone. Small prizes came in big packages.

A treasure trove of a few girls numbers, his work number and the number of about every take-out restaurant in Tokyo was the biggest prize. 

Meanwhile the hanyou was flashing Rankotsu a rather annoyed look, not even flinching as he drew the fang out before him in a swift hand-over-hand pinwheel maneuver that quickly entwined those lines of flame around the fangs shimmering blade, his form turning in the same smooth momentum to send him into a swift glide that carried him right into blades reach of the poor fool, the flame ensnared sword coming in fast for a gutting cut as the hanyou hissed. "Stop playing these fucking games and tell me where the hell Naraku is!"

"Like we'd tell you fool." Mukotsu answered him and shot a poisoned dart for his neck from some hidden away space on the roof. 

"Huh!" Rankotsu yanked the lines up and over, taking the hanyou with them to slam him and his Tetsusaiga on the other side of the roof.

Bankotsu grumbled about idiots not even finishing fights they'd started and worked his way down to a safe middle ground. Coming up to Jakotsu he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good work. Just keep her till the shit face is unconscious. I'm sure Naraku would love to have him as a pet too." And he leapt up to the roof as well, landing on the edge with his halberd over one shoulder and stood for a moment watching his brothers fight the hanyou.

"Hai, hai…" Jakotsu half-whined. He wanted to play with Inuyasha. He never got the chance. He pouted. He held the girl tight about the waist and continued to plod with the cell phone.

Inuyasha only rolled his eyes to the yank as he hit the roof but on his feet, his form sinking into a crouch before he shot once more for Rankotsu. His sword did swing but its intent was not to cleave, but instead wildly snap the fools line out wide to leave the fool busy the split second the hanyou needed to close in. The boy had bounced around jobs for years but one of his favorites was as the Catwalks best bouncer...he'd dealt with juvenile gangs, gunmen, a pack of roaring drunks and a few black-head hunters in his short time there...Needless to say the boy knew how to level an opponent. With Rankotsu busy for the moment with his whip-lashing lines would he have the chance to even think of fleeing as the boys clenched fist flew in right for the fools chin in an uppercut he won't soon forget!

Rankotsu didn't have time to move from the strike of the boy's punch-and his face flew off sideways-beginning to leak blood and show the looks of a broken nose, but he had taken one step back to brace himself and had not flown half way across the roof. Instead he used his wires again and trapped the boy's punching hand in a web of flaming string. He looked back with one eye shut- the wind from the fire causing his bandanna to whip behind him

Bankotsu watched this with a lifted brow and took a step down from the edge of the wall, the Banrayu still hooked on his shoulder as he approached the two locked in this pose. "Tsk, tsk Inuyasha. You should know we never play very fair.-" he grinned and lifting the halberd he went to bring it down onto the boys skull with a resounding CRACK-but didn't make it all the way.

Kagome all the while had been trying to figure out how to break free of Jakotsu. He was, right now absorbed in the cell phone-sniffing it of all things-but it gave her an ample idea and chance. She bit the arm that was holding onto her and then grabbing the cell tossed it into the water-filled parking lot. As Jakotsu yelped and ran after it- forcefully shoving her to the ground in the process- she stood up and scrambled up to the roof-reaching it just as Bankotsu lifted his halberd. "No!" She yelped and took a running charge to hit Bankotsu with all her strength in his mid-section.-righteously confusing the other shichinintai.

Bankotsu *Ulfed* as he was tackled by the girl-he backed up on impulse and looked down to glower at her-and lifted her up by the hair. "Keh...Such a damn shame we can't kill you wretch-at least not yet." He tossed her over to Suikotsu.

Suikotsu caught the girl and held her at claw point, she cheeped a little, but it didn't deter him- what did was someone coming across the parking lot below. Someone who could call their shots, his face crunched up, and he watched the figure speak to Jakotsu.

The hanyou merely smiled, seemingly speaking to the jaw-tender Rankotsu as he shook that sizzling flame engulfed hand. "Playing fair isn't your problem...your games older than Chinese checkers and just about as predictable." A loud CLANG resounded as the fang met the halberd before it could even make its attack, the hanyou hissing sourly. "If your idiot there captured the right hand you wouldn't have this problem ....-hm?" He blinked seeing the girl try for a running tackle that only left the fool distracted....a scowl marring that boyish face as he took the chance to send that flaming clawed hand right across the wretched corpses face. "Aw hell....forget it and JUST FRIGGEN DIE!" The hanyou carrying the turning momentum to whirl himself around and slam the butt of the fang right into the fools temple!

"Ham sauce...and your not predictable ay?" Rankotsu Grinned-a bloody grin as he whirled to strike him down with a flaming claw. "Your methods never change. It's no wonder your brother died of embarrassment!" Now Rankotsu cheated-and pulled out a gun-aiming it for the hanyou's forehead. "Bye-bye!" He cocked it to fire.

Bankotsu looked up to see Rankotsu ready to fire. "No you fool! He can't die yet either!" His halberd came down to bash the hanyou on the skull- this time connecting- but it was the flat part of the weapon. No where near the sharp edge. It was to knock him down from Rank's shot as he fired-and the bullet went right through Bankotsu. He blinked flat eyed, looking at his chest and then at Rankotsu. "Lovely. Now will you get a grip?!"

Inuyasha twitched. "That hurt you goddamned cheap knock-off from night of the living dead!" The poor boy was clutching his abused skull with one clawed hand as he rose to a knee and lashed out a skate! Intent on sweeping the feet right out from under Bankotsu, granting him the time to kick back to his feet and bound right off the wretches skull. His skates grinding into the roof top as he came to a swift turn, pausing just long enough to draw the fang out before him and catch this newest scent.

Down below a woman with jet black hair and in a maroon business suit stood-speaking with the freeze-dried-homosexual-sadist-freak. She looked up at the roof top and spotted the hanyou's backside. Her brow lifted-but she made no further show of emotion and said something more to Jakotsu, and crossed her arms standing with all her weight on one foot, her eyes watching the bourei.

Jakotsu was talking back-making wide arm gestures and apparently trying to fight what the woman was saying, but in the end he gave up with a huff and handed her the fried cell phone, turning and moving to the building-climbing up to the roof fairly quickly to come to a rest on the edge of the roof. He looked pouty and put out. "Bankotsu-oo-aniki! Narcotic-san wants us to leave the girl for now and head back to base!" He said, and gestured to the woman.

Bankotsu meanwhile was rubbing his face and fixing his suddenly bent out of shape nose caused by the hanyou's skates smacking him in the face while Jakotsu relayed this news. With a loud crack and a wiggle to his now bloody face he looked at Jakotsu and then glared down at the woman. He snarled in her direction, she didn't even blink, so he flicked her off. She smirked-he looked back at Inuyasha. "Keh... looks like we'll have to finish his later shit-face. Duty calls. Suikotsu-drop the Angel and lets go."

"Hmph....just when things were getting fun…" If Inuyasha was annoyed or sour he didn't show it, instead he slid the fang back into its scabbard and flashed Bankotsu a mocking little smirk. His bloodied face was a delight to see in truth, made the weeping wound on his back and the burned flesh of his hand worth the pain.

"My thoughts exactly." He muttered at him and wiped the black blood off his face completely. He was dead, didn't bleed much. He went to the edge of the building and leapt off it and out of sight.

The rest of them grumbled and followed suit, Suikotsu giving Kagome a quick warning slice across Kagome's neck-but not actually cutting her and dropping her as he followed off too.

The woman waited down below with an infinite amount of patience-and once they were all there- she led them off around another corner and they all vanished from view.

"...Well...That was just fucked up and peachy." Kagome muttered, and cursed as she picked herself up and brushed herself off as much as possible, shooting the hanyou a glare. "I knew something was wrong with you." She said, rubbing her wrists. "And I don't mean the fact your half-youkai either."

"What are you so annoyed about? Did you expect anything less from me or them?" Inuyasha idly nudged himself over to the roofs edge, a clawed hand reaching behind him to gingerly touch the wound just below his torn shirt while he gazed at the corner the zombie-squad and there brainless leader has disappeared behind.

"Them no, you on the other hand...here I was hoping I'd found someone in this insane world had more sense then most...Not that it matters either way. You certainly don't give a rats tail." She sighed and pressed her hand against her head, flattening her bangs out with it, she continued to look at him, but sideways. "Don't bother following them...That secretary of his, has ways of making them just disappear…" As she said this there was a whoosh of wind and it pushed her hair all about her face. Then the air was dead and seemingly immobile.

"Kagura is still using those damned feathers when she knows her youkai can be detected...?" Inuyasha muttered amused as he rubbed his chin a little, tajiya still existed and there means of dealing with youkai were quite advanced, not that many still roamed the cities and suburbia's of Japan. He took a breath and spun on a skate...flashing her an indifferent hard to read look. "Not give a rats ass eh? Fine... since they are after you I'll use that as an excuse to bring you along ....how's that?"

"Oh. So you know her too." She muttered half-bemused and half irate as she took a little white tie and pulls her hair back into a low ponytail. She shot him a look then, both brows shooting up as he suggested this however. "'Use me as an excuse to bring me along…'" She repeated with a skeptical look. "That doesn't sound right at all. You sure that's what you meant to say, Inuyasha-wasn't it?" She asked licking her lips, and letting her hands fall from her hair.

"Known her for a few hundred years now…" He mused, letting her chew on that piece of information as he pushed off towards her , gliding a tight circle around the girl a moment as he explained further. "Putting it blunt yes since I "don't give a rats tail", I'll just bring you along as bait instead of having to just merely protect you from them. Take it as you wish." And with that the girl was scooped up and draped over a shoulder, pushing off to glide along down the slope of the roof.

"Huh. have your cake and eat it too." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and looking off to one side. "And you don't give a rats tail about me, do you?" She asked in a statement question, sighing a bit and tapping her fingers on her arm until she was shouldered. "KYAA! What-?! You bakaaa!" She cried and covered her eyes with her hands-and a sharp gasp as they slid down the roof. She wasn't used to this.

"Stop screaming or we'll just have to take the bus! The idea here is not to be noticed." The boy scolded as he leapt off the roofs edge, hitting the next rooftop before picking up speed and leaping off the roofs crest. "Your a street rat, tell me where the nearest cafe is?" He hit the rooftop lightly on his wheels and practically flew down its next slope only this time he decided the best rout may be on street level. The boy nonchalantly skating right off the roof and taking the two story free-fall.

"I'll keep screaming thank you! KYA! KYA! KYAKYAKYA!!!" She took in deep breaths and kept her hands over her eyes, keeping her legs tight together in an attempt to keep her balance on his shoulder. She trusted him at this point about as far as she could throw him. And needless to say, that wasn't far. "And I'm not a rat! I don't live ON the streets! And I have no clue where the hell your headed, so no I don't know where the nearest café is- and I don't trust myself to look!"

The wild rush of wind and the unsettling "rising" feeling your stomach takes during free fall came to a swift but soft end. The boys skates lightly tapping on the pavement as he recovered from the

landing and peered over to the street where a small knot of girls he recognized from the catwalk stopped there bantering, stared and pointed at the pair. Giggling softly and cooing his name....The poor boy giving a soft sigh as he removed his free hand from his hat and kindly pulled the girls tight mini skirt down so that she's not giving a show to the rest of the world....or...rather what few haven't seen her show!

Only clients had seen anything-course why he cared was beyond her all together. He seemed cold and hard hearted...and if she had had the time to sit and wonder about it, she would have wondered why-but she didn't. The moment he stopped, she peeked out from under her hand to spot what street they were on:: stay here so I can figure this out! 

He was about to set the girl down but,...well...he stayed put and just chilled there, his good hand roving his numerous pockets while the other injured limb was absently rubbing the girls rear. Think Kagome ...rub, rub...think! Err not like he meant it anyway.

She rolled her eyes as she felt his clawed hand roam her backside, but held her tongue. That she 

was used to. He should be glad she wasn't going to ask him for a 100 yen for doing it. She let her hands fall to his back and she scanned the street below. One thing about Tokyo- it lacked street names and any kind of make sense order. The hospital could be found next to a porn-movie rent-a-center. It made that much sense, so you were very lucky if you knew your way around one fourth of it. She sighed-and dropped her head against him to hide her eyes again. "...Head north-three blocks down, take a left and then another left...The MoonShadow Café should be down that way…" She muttered muffled into his shirt "-But why head to a café?" 

"Because you can't get any service hiding in an abandoned building…" He mused while he pushed off and casually bladed down the street, hanging the first left with a casual , graceful sweep. "Besides you'd be surprised what strange folk go into them and talk of…we won't be so out of place." He chuckled softly, granted he didn't have to carry the miko, but maybe a cold ass will keep him a little less motivated to be stubborn. A few moments later he ground to a halt before the little Cafe, carefully easing the girl up off his shoulder and setting her back to the ground.

she took a biig deep breath as he set her down- and stumbled back to grip the brick wall of the MoonShadow, her other hand gripping her chest. "Do you do that to every girl you meet?" She gasped out

exasperatedly-meaning the way he'd carried her. She took in a few more steadying breaths-and stood up straighter. "...What-kind of service are you looking for here anyway?"

He eyed the girl for a moment, casting her one of those little flat, cold "the hell do you take me for!?" kind of looks. Before casually reaching out and pet-petting the girls head in a rather fond manner, huffing a little mushroom sigh. "How about a Latté and a piece of carrot cake? Your treat since I can smell my wallet on you…" He flashed her a little smirk as he gave a last pet. "And no...your the only girl I've ever hauled around town like that, does that make you feel better?" With a soft chuckle he drew the door open for her and motioned her in.

_"A sack of potatoes more like…"_ she thought to herself-not knowing how the hell to take the pats on the head. Now that she thought about it-he did appear to be two years older than her-tossing the fact that he was actually hundreds of years her senior-and she'd been calling him "kid" in her mind all this time. She snuffed derisively, and followed him in. "Funny you should say that." She said, pulling his wallet out of the space between her breasts and handing it back to him. "You were dead broke. I'm

guessing that gum you were chewing was your last dime for the week. So-it will end up being my treat…" She let out a small inaudible but exasperated sigh.

Idly catching the item he gave a sheepish little grin and stuffed it into a pocket. "Not really...Rick pays me daily depending on how many heads I knock in…" He rolled up to a table and casually took a seat, barely spareing the waiter at the time to give his order. "Hmm...pleasant place...pity it may be destroyed." His gaze wandered around the relatively empty room.

She gave him a rather dry look at this comment, but pulled herself out of it and spilled her order off to the waiter, before looking back at him and rearranging her still ripped top. "Damn Kouga…" She muttered under her breath as she flicked a shred of cloth into a more appropriate place, and cleared her throat a bit. "Destroyed-how? I can tell you one thing- the Shichinintai, Kagura and anyone important to Narcotic's syndicate aren't around here. I can feel it."

"Hmm...so you can eh?" He lounged back and folded his hands behind his head, tipping his hat a little over that boyish face. "Doesn't matter, now that Naraku knows I'm alive and looking for him he'll not waste any time forming the next assault and sending it my way." Smokey violet orbs flicked up in time to eye the waiter who set down his said latté and piece of cake before moving to the girl.

She leaned back too, crossing her legs under the small table and resting her hands on her abdomen giving him an under handed look. "Mm.. I can." She agreed, though she knew not how she could. She didn't bother going into it though. "And I have a feeling...Narcotic already knew you

were alive…the way the shichinintai and Kagura acted when they spotted you...just leads me to believe that."

Straightening himself he cast the girl a look while He poked at the icing a little with his fork. "Probably avoiding me, or unable to pin point my whereabouts. Doesn't matter, I have a rough idea of where he is now, all I need is a scent trail to fallow. Bastards been running from me far too long…" He muttered sourly before taking a bite.

"Do you? And how do you know he's not just leading you on by the nose in a big scheme to kill you off for good?" She asked near loftily, and picked up her mixed drink and took a sip from it, and set it down again. "Of course- now that you mention it- What are you after him for- really?" She lifted a brow at him, her face showing intrigue more then curiosity as she inquired on this.

He peered up at her through those black bangs of his and blinked. "I already told you...a bad false ID." He'd not divulge that info too easily!

"Uh huh sure." She leaned forward then, resting her elbows on the table and leaning right up face to face with him. "Pull the other one kiddo. Your a hanyou-you openly admit you've been after him for centuries. And you expect me to believe its all over a fake ID from when? The Sengoku Jidai? Please....Now what is the real reason?"

He sniffed a bit and gave into temptation....hell he never even bothered to resist as he scooped up a little icing from the cake and dabbed it on the end of her nose. Before leaning back in his chair and giving a sigh. "It is due to a false ID...or at least Identity. Naraku is capable of assuming other forms, shape-shift almost, I'm not sure of the technicalities. But he took my appearance and lured someone very dear to me to her death."

"Now that sounds much more believable." She conceded, and licked the frosting from her nose, also leaning back again. "So who was she? One of your two wives? Or someone else? Sister maybe? Mother? Possibly your mistress?" She smirked at him and rubbed her thumb across her nose and

licked it, getting the rest of the frosting off.

"How'd you know?" He flashed her the most horridly faked look of surprise he could muster, before picking up his steaming cup...taking a moment to sip at its milky contents. "I guess you could call what we were going through as "dating"...but back then feelings weren't taken for granted."

"Mmm, interesting that I failed to mention "girlfriend" in that list…" She commented, pointing out subtly that she knew feelings weren't taken for granted. "And don't get fresh with me. The last thing I need tonight is a smart ass, as you can imagine." She sipped at her mixed drink and eyed him again. "Though in all basics-we seem to be after him for the same reasons-But as I see it- I'm kind of screwed at getting at him now. His cronies know your with me and are going to tell him, and it'll be much harder for

me to actually find him now."

"He'll find us believe me…" He finished about half of his cake before nudging it aside, focusing a little more on his drink. "He knows why I took you, he'll be counting on you as a means of getting to me, I just made things more convenient since he can always find you no matter where you are in this city. Perhaps I should taunt him a little by dropping my disguise?" He muttered as he gazed at the ceiling, tapping a claw lightly on his cup.

She sighed and rolled her eyes _"you are so full of it..."_ she thought, before letting her orbs fall back on him. "I think he's more after you than he is me at this point. All I'm doing is paying off a debt and

trying to save my brother...I'm expendable in his eyes, ya know? You on the other hand-have obviously been his enemy for longer then I care to count-and I'm sure he knows where you are now. What in the blazes would he want me for?" She picked up her glass and studied it a moment or two.

"He would have killed you sooner if he had only money in mind, slutting your self around the streets without a license will pay off your debt in how many more years?" The stated firmly, never peering up from his cup as he took a long pull of his drink. "In any case, we need to find a place to stay till he does work up the courage and man-power to send his minions our way."

She lifted her nose up a bit. She didn't like this. Being used like this. She felt like an old shampoo bottle. She drummed her fingers on the sides of her glass and peered into the liquid. "I don't know. Never learned the true price of the debt." She muttered acidly, keeping her eyes on the glass. "But it doesn't matter. I don't want to be used as a pawn in some dispute that should have been dropped ages ago…" She licked her lips. "Tsk...men and their endless grudges…" She took another swig.

"Hnh...youkai live for a long time, if they didn't hold grudges then what more can they do in their lives?" He flashed her a chilling little fang peeking smile as he muttered. "Besides...if he killed your brother would you drop it in a few years?" He peered down into his cup and finished off the rest in one gulp.

She smiled dryly then, and set her glass down. "...If he killed Souta?...I wouldn't be here to care. I'd be dead too." She said with a smile that held no humor, did not reach her eyes, and showed a little tinge of insanity in the dimming light of her eyes.

"You'd be lucky then…" Leaning back again he relaxed and gazed out the cafes window, for the moment growing silent as he pondered their next move. "Hell...the rent on the place was too high to boot...we can probably stay in Miroku's apartment, unless you rather stay at a hotel?" A dark brow arched a little as he gazed to the girl.

"Yea...lucky…" She murmured, leaning on the table with one elbow and spinning her mixer straw around in the cup absently, not really listening to him any more-just catching bare hints of what he was saying as she stared at the spinning fluid and sighed. "...Whatever…" Cogs were slowly spinning in her head. Why hadn't Naraku told the shichinintai to just kill her straight off? Was there a bigger picture she was missing here that involved her in some way? One thing she knew for sure-she had to find out...and soon.

He snuffed as he noticed her lack of attention, deciding to play that to his amusement. "I'm sure Miroku won't mind you staying over with your chunky thighs, the land lady doesn't mind scrub girls with bad hair either. Plus there is a spare futon, wide enough to fit your manly physique, our apartments kind of good since it has its own shower. You'll have that Ode De Toilet-bowl off you in no time, and the neighbors won't mind since you sound weird enough to be confused with a cat, or maybe a goat." He pondered…and shook his head as he chuckled, oooh that grin that played over his face.

Isn't it funny how girls always caught the insults no matter how off in outer space they were? She didn't even look up as she took her glass and dumped the rest of it's contents on his head, dropped a few yen on the table, stood up and headed for the door. "Go hang." She said once and left the shop, pulling her low pony tail a little tighter, crossing her arms over her chest and beginning to walk off down the lamp lit beat up old road.

She didn't get to far till the sounds of small wheels grinding on the street foretold her that the boy was practically instep behind her. Silently fussing with his now wet hair as he tried to keep the mess all behind him, trickles of raven black weaving intricate patterns over the pale skin of his forearms as he went along.

She kept walking, not looking back at him as he followed, a frown set deep into her face. His running insults only partially why it was there. "You're not funny you know." She stated, watching the road for pot holes to keep her spiked boots out of-and wishing to god she was near where she'd left all her things. Ripped clothes were getting to her-and it was getting colder.

"When your the butt of the joke of course you wouldn't find it funny." He glided along up along side her and peered over with a soft chuckle. "But that's what you get for zoning out on me." For the time being he let the girl stalk along on her own, after all she was conveniently headed in the same direction as his apartment, so really who was he to bug?

"It wouldn't be funny even if I wasn't." She all but snarled-back-and tried her best to compose herself better after saying that-and sighed heavily. "And I didn't exactly zone out on you. I heard what

you said, and I don't particularly care where you want to stay. If you end up dragging me along-I might be gone come morning...I have big questions now-and I have to find someone to answer them for me." 

"So then If I carry you instead you won't be so bitter right? Since dragging you will make you want to leave come morning...alright then." Without another word the hanyou had encircled the girls waist with an arm and was about to pluck her up off the ground again!

"Kya! You know what I mean!" She yelped as he ran his arm around her waist again. "Don't be dense! I still don't see why you need me!" She grumbled-realizing after a moment that he hadn't lifted her up yet-and inwardly sighing in a very slight relief. It hurt to be carried over a shoulder like that.

"Heh…" He released the girl as he circled her once and idly glided off around the corner and into the apartment buildings little garden. Slowing down as he was forced to carefully negotiate treading through gravel. "Then come on hopefully we beat Miroku home and pray that he won't be trying to peek up your skirt every chance he gets." He paused only long enough to peer over his shoulder to the girl before lightly bounding up the steps.

She took a step to follow, and then stopped-her nose twitched. Why in the seven hells was she following this boy? What could she gain from it but a dead brother and her own life cut out from under her? Deceptively sweet is what he was...and she'd fallen for the facade..-was her own fault she knew that, but it didn't make the situation any better. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair looking up into the pre-dawning skies. Dawn would be breaking in an hour or so...and she was exhausted...with a defeated and drawn look she dropped her head and followed sulkily.

~End chap. 2~


	4. The Apartment Interlude & Sesshoumaru’s ...

Amber Eyes

A.N. You know what I'm gonna say…And sorry guys- this one's a bit shorter than the other three. ^^ Bare with me here.

Chapter 4: The Apartment Interlude & Sesshoumaru's Legacy

"Your prison awaits…" Inuyasha muttered when he caught her depressed gaze, striding through the open door and pausing just long enough to undo the laces of his skates. "Not poking fun at your taste in clothes but you may as well not be wearing anything compared to those mere threads." He muttered softly while he kicked his skates off to the side, and peered over at the three stacks of his clothes lining the wall. "Borrow a shirt or something...unless you want to give my roomie hard-ons the rest of the night. I'll give you some privacy." He picked up a sticky clump of raven hair and scowled bitterly before he slipped off into the places tiny bathroom.

"Not my fault one of my clients is a full youkai and possessive…" Kagome murmured back, watched him move through the small place and leant against the front door, rubbing her arms, asking herself what the hell she thought she was doing for the second time in a row. Also figuring fast and quick how she was going to get to the one person in Narcotic's organization who hated his guts but worked for him anyway, as an obligation more then by choice...She had no real idea how to get a hold of said personage-but she was going to figure it out. Pressing her lips together she pulled off her boots and stepped up into the room-but didn't go much further. "...Borrow a shirt he says...tsk-yea, like I'm going to invade his room....or his roommate's…" She muttered-though didn't quite know why she wouldn't do it.

It wasn't much of a room, he didn't even have dressers just merely piled his wardrobe that consisted of a lot of black clothes in an articulately neat pile. At the very bottom rested a polished wooden case, all that stood out against the sea of black. Invading the room or not though the sound of the showerheads hiss was enough to tell her that for the next few minutes she'd have the apartment to herself.

It was now that she really wished she was near to where her things were-but in the end she sighed, giving up and picking through what shirts he did have, pulling out one that had a band's logo on it. Some American band called "Mest." "Punk...wonder if he even knows them…" She mused to herself throwing it on.

The sounds of footsteps tromped heavily down the hall along with assorted curse words in a language not Japanese. There was a shift, jingle of keys and insert into the lock, turn and kick the door open with a foot. On his hip was a satchel, in his hand a long thin case, nearly twice the size of a guitar and three feet in width, Miroku entered. Kicking the door closed and letting out another string of curse words, he plopped that case onto the table with a heavy Thud!

The shower went silent a few moments after the heavy thud of the table, though the bathroom door remained closed still.

Kagome just sat with her head halfway in the shirt arms hanging out above her head for a moment when the door slammed and the smooth voice chewed through the air. She slipped into the rest of the shirt and peered out from the darkness of the bedroom.

Miroku removed that strap from across his chest and flopped that satchel upon the table with another thud. Taking off his glasses and dropping them on the bag, he ripped the hair tie from his hair, ruffled it and rubbed his face as he trudged into the kitchen, passed the fridge and into the small cabinet they kept the saké. Grabbing bottle and a much deeper cup, he sat upon the counter and moved to open it.

"The hells got your panties in a bunch." Inuyasha muttered from the bathroom doorway, clad in a clean pair of pants and a towel that smothered everything from the nose back down his bare back. A clawed hand reached up to lightly dry his hair as he strode out into the hall and peered around for the girl.

Kagome hadn't come out yet-and at this point wasn't sure she wanted to. Miroku was nice and good looking and everything-but she wasn't ready to forgive him for sweeping her up into a gooey mess during that fight. And he seemed to be pissed to top it off, so she just stayed where she was for the moment, backing off from the doorway and rummaging in a box finding old Marvel Comics that had been translated into Japanese.

After the third cup, Miroku propped his foot up on the back of a chair. "God I hate Americans - this baka attempted to show me up during one of my presentations. which he has no right because each of his works have been discredited."

"Heh…" Inuyasha waved his friend off to vent as he turned and strolled off into his still darkened room, blink blinking as he slowly reached over to flick the light on. "Err....why are you in the dark? Your decent right?" Not that he'd let on if he would or wouldn't mind whether she was decent or not.

Kagome turned half way with a couple of the comics and blinked at him in the sudden light. "Not exactly decent...I never am…" She didn't answer the dark question, that was something she kept to herself.

"Did I come home at the wrong time?" Miroku called after, setting aside the sake, ruffling his hair, setting his glasses upon the top of his head and moved towards the table, flicking the latches on his case. Slowly he opened the case and pushed back the fabric - revealing the fabric of his brother's tail.

"No Miroku, you didn't…" Inuyasha called back out the bedroom door as he took up a seat a few feet from the girl, bowing over a little as he scrubbed that towel furiously over his skull. Pausing in his vigorous effort once he felt her gaze on him, the hem of that towel coming up just enough to flash an amber orb towards her, devoid of the contact lenses and glittering in curiosity. "Hm?"

She didn't respond right off, instead she just lifted one brow at him, her eyes half-mast and a fairly toneless look on her face. Then she shrugged and looked back at the comics she was holding, flipping one open to read the first few captions as she answered. "You look somewhat better with your real colors."

Miroku snapped that case closed, locks following and he sighed, hefting up his items and trudging off to his room. His door clicked behind him and he flopped upon his bed, scooting that long case under his bed - better let the love birds be. He just stretched and moved to his desk, flicking open his laptop and warming it up

"Really?" Inuyasha was mindlessly answering in truth as he pulled that towel down into his lap, running his claws lightly through his silvery white mane in an attempt to tame it down around those damp ears. Of which he picked up a corner of the towel and began to dry them off a little better. Damp ears turned itchy later.

"Mmhmm." She responded, flipping the comic page. "I don't know why you'd bother to dye your hair black, or wear contacts. With the people out and about today you can just rat your real colors off as dye and contacts. Who'd be the wiser?" Getting a little bored with the comics she dropped them back into the box and swiveled around to push herself to her feet.

"The idea is not to draw attention, white hair alone just Screams 'hey look over here!'" The hanyou replied matter-of-factly while folding up that towel. "There's also the fact that a few people know these colors are real and there not people I'd like suddenly dropping in on me."

"I suppose...but you still look better-more like how you ought to- with those colors." She said and meandered into the main room, coming across the left out suit case, and lifting a brow at it-moving to pick at it's locks.

The hanyou was reluctant to leave his seat, knowing by the soft click of the bag that she was snooping. "Careful Kagome, you never know what will jump out and get you."

"Kyeh...after what I've been through tonight- I hardly care." She muttered, and picked the other side of the lock with equal ease-having them both click open and she carefully lifted the lid to peer inside-having that which was in it elicit a smooth gasp. "Wow...it's so...fluffy…" She murmured-poking at it.

But her hand would be grabbed and that case violently shut, sliding it away from her. "Do you mind?!"

Inuyasha didn't interject when he heard his roomie's protests, but he did peek out into the hall at them, a furry ear twitching a little.

She looked at him as placidly as anything-a small smile curving her lips as he snapped at her. "Yes, actually I do...That thing has an enormous youki in it. Where on blazes did you get it?"

The case was turned and lid opened by Miroku, his hands smoothing down the fur so that it went in one direction. Then he went about securing the fabric that covered it and lowered the lid, flicking the locks closed. "Don't touch anything in my keep. It belongs to Inuyasha's long dead brother and will be going to his nephew."

"My long lost nephew…" Inuyasha corrected blatantly before he drew his head back into the room, setting his towel aside as he stretched out with a yawn.

Her brow lifted. If it was the hanyou's why did he have it? He wasn't related in anyway to the boy-as far as she could tell anyway. She snorted. "What do you think I'm going to do to it- or with it? It's a fluffy thing...looks like Inuyasha could get lost in it…" She sighed. "Whatever-never mind…" Waving her hand off she went to lean on the window sill and gaze out. She should be figuring out how to contact that person anyway.

"Look…Kagome…this item was one of the very center pieces to the assemble of Inuyasha's brother. it was a symbol of their family, not to mention a weapon - it is Sesshoumaru's tail and every single item that has been recovered concerning him is in my charge until it can be handed over to his lost puppy." He picked it up off the table. "You should at least be a bit more respectful - it was your Naraku that killed him." He turned and moved towards his room.

"My Naraku.....?" Kagome hissed under her breath. That pissed her off. Narcotic was not and never ever would be even remotely considered hers...She wanted nothing to do with the freak if she could damn well help it. She seethed silently, Now she had a real reason to be mad at Miroku.

"I'll translate for my overbearing roomie." The hanyou muttered as he stalked out of his bedroom. "It was a demented fashion accessory of a certain youkai that made him look more female than was ever possible. Now that he's dead and ash I have to look for his brat who's probably left mainland Japan to give that ...THING too."

Listening to the hanyou, it occurred to Kagome, somewhere, that he had less respect for his late brother than she had when she hadn't even known. All the same she bit her tongue and gripped the window pane hard enough to turn her knuckled a bright white.

Miroku dropped that case onto a chair, staring at the hanyou, shoving his glasses to rest upon his head. "Even in death you do nothing, but mock him! haven't I told you time and time again to show credit was due! Your brother took that blast, which was made for you or have you long forgotten how you would be have been cinder if not your brother jumped before. sure, he didn't live a fortnight afterwards, but he moved to save your life and you still dishonor him and insult him upon death. And it's not just that tail that has to be given to Hitorii - it's his otou's legacy; like how you managed to get Tetsusaiga. we are talking about Tensaiga, its sibling blade and what about that Oni blade resting in your brother's tomb. and right now." He sighed. "It's appearing that Hitorii never existed. Nothing in the myths or historical record ever proves that his pup ever went anywhere."

"Save it Miroku...I told you...he got CAUGHT in the blast, he would never jump in to take a shot for me." The hanyou sighed as he rubbed his head, peering to the woman who seemed to be seething at the moment as he continued to explain. "And Tokoujin will remain where it is till its time to destroy it, the blade is too dangerous."

It also came to Kagome's attention that if she sat here and listened she could learn all about the boy's past. She'd only rattled off a short rendition of her own-but compared to his, hers was a snap in another day...this somewhat infuriated her more-to think of that-but she continued to hold her tongue. She'd let whatever rattled off them to rattle off-and then go and search for that person. She had to know exactly how she fit into all this.

Miroku just bristled. "He jumped to take that blast!" He bellowed out. "I was there, or have you forgotten that Naraku blasted the hell out of my Shakoujou and spirit bindings!?!"

"He was caught!" The boy now bristled and bared his fangs. "Think about it Miroku....the bastards been trying to cut me down since I was a pup, why the hell would he save my life HM!? He saw me stunned and disorientated and went for the kill, only to get killed! That's what his wretched prejudges got him!"

Miroku threw his arms up in frustration, and he grabbed up the case and went back into his room, slamming his door behind him.

Kagome flinched just a little at the slammed door, and let go of the window pane, reaching back and pulling her hair free of the low pony tail, playing with the white tie-wrap. She peered sideways at the boy, but said nothing still.

Inuyasha just sighed and ran his claws lightly through that thick mane of white. "I've unrolled a futon for you, sleep in my room I'll be fine out here." He barely looked to the girl as he made his way out to the small gathering room to settle down.

Kagome watched the boy from the corner of her eye, her mouth drawn into a straight line. "Thank you…" She muttered almost coldly as she slipped away into the room. She would be getting no sleep tonight.

~End Chap. 4~ 


	5. Naraku’s Base and A Long Lost Relative F...

Amber Eyes

A.N. Same thing as always. Gets redundant don't it? Oh-the original character in this chap., Hitorii, I don't own him either. He belongs to Rem. : )

Chapter 5: Naraku's Base and A Long Lost Relative Found

Inuyasha had guessed the girl would be true to her word and hightail it when dawn broke, so he'd left her some clothes to run out in that probably would do her more justice than the shirt of his that nearly swallowed her up. Leaving behind a black a form-fitting tank-top like black wife beater with "Boy" scrawled out on the front in white Kanji, an a black plain looking mini skirt with a slit showing just suggestively enough. In truth he was actually well awake, in fact he didn't get much sleep with his raging-roomie. He took his night out on the apartment complex roof where he could gaze to the hazy stars and keep an ear perked for the soft patter of a young girls feet rushing along on the walkway.

Kagome hadn't slept at all that night. Instead she had sat up all night long trying to figure out where and how she could catch sight of the person who worked for Narcotic but didn't do it because they wanted to 's attention. That-and swilling saké, but that was beside the point. Feeling completely restless though, she got up to leave long before dawn actually managed to break, and carried her boots with her when she left the house-having also swiped an over-sized sweater from one of the clean laundry piles in the apartment. Her hair bunched up a little over the collar as she padded out and down the pathway to the street. Licking her lips she peered around the dead street and went out into it. Down the road some there was the place she'd left her clothes, and something else of hers that she'd had for a long time and loved almost as much as her brother.

"Huston, we have our sneaky little girl." He whispered to himself and lifted his head up just enough to peer over towards the street, as predicted she was fleeing off to who knows where. He sat himself up a little and rubbed at his stomach through the thin mesh holed black shirt that clung to every inch of his lean torso, down to his fingers the sleeves hem was laced around, and only reclined some more. He'd give her a two minute head start, more than enough to give the girl the assurance that she wasn't being fallowed. Then he'd track her scent and watch his little ticket to baboon-butt from a safe distance back.

The girl took some twisty turns and came to a little house along the street. Looking over her shoulder just for the sake of it, she pressed a few keys on a pad beside the door. The alarm beeped once, and quietly to let her know the door was unlocked and she opened it and slipped inside. Setting her boots down she sighed a bit and rubbed at her face. Well, first thing was first. She went to a yellow locker and pulling out a key opened it. Reaching inside she pulled out a leather jacket, dove gray flat-heeled boots and tight black jeans. Pulling off everything else-save for the shirt she was in she pulled on all that, and then tucked what she'd taken off away in the locker. With a slight smirk she slammed the locker and off of a workbench grabbed a set of keys and went over to a side of the house that was a garage, moving to a thing covered in a black sheet and running her hands along it. "Well, babe...time to ride again."

Inuyasha had perched on another roof about a block away, his body crouched in a three pointer and his shadowy violet orbs flicking off towards that little house. _"So perhaps she does have a home, or something like it."_ He mused to himself, settling into a doggish sit and draping a clawed hand over the hilt of his sword as he calmly watched a squirrel chitchat at him from a branch a few feet away.

To her it was just a garage, and that was all. She pulled the sheet off the thing revealing a beautiful black Kawasaki motorcycle. Picking up riders gloves she slipped them on and took up the helmet shoving that on too. Climbing astride the bike she pressed a button and the front of the garage creaked and opened up. Shoving in the key, she turned the engine, and her bike came to roaring life. Revving the engine a couple times, she flapped the visor down, lifted her feet up and drove out, taking a sharp left turn, back towards the apartment she'd just left.

"I was hoping it was a pink bicycle." He rubbed his forehead a little and debated his next move, well he had to fallow her but a bike had a definite speed advantage. His thoughts trailed to just hotwiring something parked on the side of the road but...driving was something this little hanyou wasn't the greatest at. With a huff he rose to his feet, he'd just have to hoof it and hope she hit a busy street, with that in mind he lunged off in pursuit.

She kept along the road-passing the apartment without a side look at it and rode on to the next intersection, taking a right turn up the road. The nearest Narcotic building was about 20 miles away. On the Kawasaki she'd be there in under five minutes. And she was with no mishap, sliding into the parking lot and swerving to a stop. She plunked her foot down and yanked the helmet off, hair splaying all over as she looked up at the building. "I hope that bitch is here." She murmured to herself.

The hanyou though needed a little longer, he stopped home to grab his skates and backpack before taking off after the girl. Taking up an old habit of surfing the bumpers of passing cars to give him a better boost of speed and cutting through back lots to save a little time, but the girl would have a good four minutes before he'd come within sight of the place.

She kicked the kickstand down and stepped off the bike, taking the keys from the bike and pocketing them. She edged her way up to the building, being extra careful because this place was alarmed to the brim. It had surveillance cameras out the ying-yang and guards to boot. Lucky for her being a street-cat she'd learned how to avoid these things.

He arrived a split second later and slumped on a roof top a good sixty feet away, mopping the little sweat from his brow before lounging back and waiting, his gaze drifting over the building as he plotted his next move.

As he sat there Kagome broke into a grate near the base of the building when the camera in that section was looking the other way.-She frowned slightly then, quickly peering over her shoulder. Squinting a little she saw the small figure of a person with white hair. "He followed me." She deduced, and sighed shaking her head a little. "Should I have expected anything else?" She asked herself, slipping into the grate just before the camera swung her way.

Inuyasha decided for now, to sit back and keep watch. The girl had come here willingly making it rather unlikely that his target was within. He rubbed his nose a little and sat himself down to paw through his bag, producing a small pda and idly tapping in the address of the building to see who its belonged to.

~*~

But oh how both of them were so wrong. This morning the great boss and Kingpin himself was overseeing the production at this particular building, making sure personally, as he did once a month, that all the orders were being fulfilled that each and every idiot ningen in all of Tokyo got his or her fill of whatever drug he was sporting on the street that year. And as old as he was also surviving from the same era as his arch nemesis, his senses were just as sharp as they ever were, and he senses the girl creeping in on the lower levels by the sudden spike in the aura feeling around the building and the slow scent of hers that filtered through. He smirked and turned to Kagura. "Go and fetch her here. I have no doubt that close behind that bloody hanyou also is. We'll have a nice surprise for him when he realizes I'm here."

Kagura shot him a disdain filled look, but nodded, bowed and exited the Room. She plodded her way down to where the girl would drop from the air ducts and stood there waiting for her with an annoyed look on her face. Get Kagome-bring her to Naraku-then go and see if the hanyou had to have his nose checked for him to realize that Naraku was within the building. Someday she'd kill the bastard.

As said, the girl removed another grate and dropped down into the hall way in a three point crouch-looking behind her first then looking ahead and stopping dead. "...Uh oh." Her eyes traveled up to the wind lady's face. ".!"

Kagura let a false short lived grin appear and she grabbed her up and began to haul her off down the hall without a word.

"Uh-um- You-you know...I wanted to talk to you Kagura." The girl tried, because Kagura was in fact the person she'd been hoping to get hold of-but not like this-being dragged. She tried to slow it down by dragging her feet, grabbing things and even using dead weight-but Kagura wasn't letting up. "Look- I know you don't like Naraku-I don't either. If you and I put our heads together maybe we could-do something."

Kagura just looked at her over her shoulder. "Do you realize how many times in the past 500 years I've tried to do something? A lot. I want to be free, not Naraku-limbs." And they reached the elevator went up and she lugged her to Naraku-throwing the door open and tossing her in after, shutting it and going to her next assignment.

Kagome fell down onto the carpet and looked up at the man standing against the window, suddenly finding herself shaking all over. 

The man only known as Naraku turned to face the girl then wearing a sharp black Armani suit, his long greasy hair pulled into a low pony-tail, scraggly bangs hung over one glimmering red orb, a Cuban cigar held delicately in his left hand, Kanna at his side. He grinned at the felled girl. "Welcome back Kagome my dear." 

Kagome refrained from spitting at him, and just sat there staring with a frown.

"Tsk, tsk! What's with the sour face? I have a special surprise for you today-for all your hard work these past years. It'll also surprise your new hanyou friend as well, once he gets here." He chuckled.

"Don't touch him!" She burst out, though she knew it would do little good. 

Naraku smiled at the girl. "Oh I'm not planning on touching him....yet. But I do need you for something, darling. Kanna take her into the side room." His grin became malevolent as he looked at his strumpet and turned to face the windows.

Kanna with her chin length white hair and sailor school uniform and he fabled mirror, nodded once, and moved to take the girl by the arm and lead her into a side room.

"What about my brother?! What aboutSouta!" She called back over her shoulder, trying to stay in the room.

"All in good time, Little Angel. All in good time." Came his calm and lofty response. He was waiting for the main course before the desert. 

~*~

Inuyasha scowled as a long list of names came up under the address, the damned fool either had a counsel that held the property or hid behind eight different names. With a shake of his head he saved the names and began to look up each origin, looking for anything amiss, a dark brow arching after a few moments when none of the names matched the addresses supplied. "Well...that's an interesting piece of information." With a smirk he pawed through his pack and produced his roomies spare cell, punching numbers away. 

The hanyou eyed his pdas clock and muttered; "That girl is taking an awfully long time-She's too important to loose just yet." And he set about to repacking his things. 

A few moments later a small box baring a piece of scotch tape just below its blinking LED was placed at the corner of the roof. Scribbled along the top was simply "Lazer~blast" it was a small device used to maliciously scramble police radar-guns but served an interesting side purpose for hindering electrical signals sent along network lines, it wouldn't kill the security systems, but bring their communications down to a snail's pace. It was a Lag-job that AOL would be proud of! 

Setting one more of the devices down and hiding it on the roof the boy casually strode towards the rooftop entrance, plucking the magnets he'd used to scramble the nearby security cameras as he went. Shoving the door open with a crack before shutting it behind him, the sluggish system would no doubt loose and regain its signal a few minutes later.

Just after he slipped in a guard's boots quietly disappeared around a corner, and there the hanyou crouched beside him and fiddled with a headphone set and walky-talky, muttering sourly how they never quite made these very comfortable to stick in his ears. 

With the pieces tucked under his hat and the wires running behind his lithe body and out of his way he set the device on low and listened to the guards yapping back and forth about little problems. Now he had a means of positively knowing what the vocal traffic was between the human-idiots. Yet it wasn't the little device that tipped him off of something else was coming, it was in truth his nose. 

With a little snuff the boy rose to his feet and slipped towards the edge of the halls bend, waiting until the soft patter of the wind yasha's feet grew near enough before that clawed hand lashed out to seize his prey.

The kaze yasha moved quickly down the halls now, grumbling inwardly at the unfairness of it all, as she searched the place out for the hanyou's scent, and wondered what little thing her "father" had planned to show him. Ah- there his scent was just around that corner...Knowing his tactics through and through after countless centuries of endless epic battles with him, she knew to look before she leapt-and stayed at the far end of the hall wall-peering on down it when she came across it's opening. She had no want of a fight "...Look-I know your down there. So just come out and come on. You want to see Naraku, he wants to see you. It's all very neat and clean. So if you would, just follow me without trying to rip me up." She drawled out in a bored tone.

The lovable bits n pieces hanyou though got a curious eyeful of the outside; several white vehicles were parked along the street. He shrugged, and casually stalked around the corner of the hall and flashed Kagura a rather disappointed look. "So he's finally taking up my invitation for tea eh? Did he remember to bring the cookies?" He chuckled softly as he reached above his head and attached a small magnet to the swiveling camera with a soft click. "I could sit here and poke fun at you all day Kagura, but I'll instead use you for other purposes since you seem to be awfully professional in being used." He cantered along the hall towards the wind witch while his fingers roamed through a pocket. "The fool wants to see me, he can wait a few minutes longer after I've caused him a few billion yen more of damage. Meantime this should keep him occupied." He drew out a small worn but neatly folded and sealed parchment, casually holding it out to the girl and flashing her a glower that promised far worse to her if she didn't comply.

She rolled her eyes, tapping the side of her head with her fan a look of total ennui on her face. "Hardly." Was her curt response to all of it, and snatched the paper from him. "But, he wishes to see you now, not later. Your new girl friend is waiting up there with him- and she seems to be part of what he wants to show you. Which I have no idea what it is- so don't ask." She gave him a pointed glare. 

This was probably an awkward moment, here Naraku was seeming to try and be civil, call the boy to meet on calm apparently non-violent terms...and the hanyou wasn't willing. So, he just idly turned and left Kagura standing there like a dip as he rounded the bend in the hall and quietly chuckled. Naraku's intentions were never clear, there would be a confrontation but the hanyou was more interested on that meeting being on his terms, after he's shifted his odds a little more in his favor.

Though tables never turned easily. As the hanyou rounded the next corner he ran face to face with Bankotsu and Jakotsu who were meandering down the hall he was swerving into at that very moment. 

Bankotsu stopped mid-step and lifted his brow-a dark smirk rising on his face as he looked at the hanyou. "Well, well...look what the dog dragged in."

Jakotsu, for his part, didn't see the hanyou and instead almost ran right square into him because he hadn't been looking where he was going-but stopped just in the knick of time when Bankotsu-oo-aniki made that comment, his painted face whirling around to look at the boy. "Ahh....Inuyasha~~a." He swooned. "What a wonderful surprise!! This is a lucky start to a day!"

A dark brow arched as Inuyasha flashed the pair a little smirk...Ah...two idiots he'd love to get out of his hair before meeting the monkey man himself. He set his backpack aside on the ground and casually slipped off his roller blades. "I was hoping to run into you two, and a good place as ever to deal with a couple of idgits." Nudging his skates along side his backpack he casually slipped into a defensive stance and flashed them a nasty smirk, urging them both forward with a wave of a hand.

Unfortunately for all of them Kagura would have none of it, and came striding right down the hall towards them-snapping her fan open with a smart *clack* as she went. She really didn't want to fight anyone, especially for Naraku-but she had little choice if she was forced too. That and she was curious as to what Narcotic's true intentions for the hanyou and the little ningen girl were. She stepped quickly in between them and grabbed the hanyou by the arm-staring at him sternly-not that that was to fabulous an idea for the wind yasha to do-but using her powers unnecessarily was something she didn't want to do either. "You can blow up the building later, and fight them later. Naraku is waiting- and you know as well as I he's not that patient."

Jakotsu scowled at the kaze yasha. "...I haven't gotten to play with him yet...Can't we just play a little?"

The boy cast the wind witch a little annoyed sidelong glance, "Kagura, you seem to forget something rather important...I'm not here to play guest to Naraku." A clawed hand lashed out to seize the wench by the throat. 

As powerful as the woman's magic was, her strength would never compare to the hanyou's bruit force that currently slammed the duty bound youkai violently into the wall. "....I'm here to kill Naraku....and ." Wrenching his arm free the boy snatched that fan right from her grasp with a sweeping SNATCH! " .....You as well." Carrying the momentum over the boy swung that closed fan like a blunt club for the foolish females skull.

The yasha choked a bit gripping his arm-and wheezed. "Fool...I realize that...and go the hell ahead-I'm all for it!" She forced her head to bend away from the smack with her own fan, so it just hit the wall above her head with a huge dent, looking up at the hole she grimaced a little bit, shooting her red orbs to him. "But seriously...What can you do? Set bombs around the place?....You know he'll get out before they go off...You know it."

Bankotsu was becoming irate and bored by this banter and began to tap his foot on the ground, snorting derisively as he watched the hovering whining Jakotsu.

He brushed off the question with a loud snap, as he broke the fan, shattering to slivers over his knee before he took the wench by her neatly done hair and hauled her form before him. "Shuddup and do your job... others dirty work." He muttered softly before thrusting her battered form right for Jakotsu, keeping him occupied while he sunk into a crouch and lunged right for the impatient Bankotsu. The hanyou's sankontessou hissing viciously as he unleashed it right for the fool's legs.

She gasped and rolled over, blowing her bangs from her face with a slight growl. Stupid impulsive prig...He'd get up there eventually she knew, but how long till Naraku became bored and took off, knowing the boy would hunt him down to the ends of the earth and back no matter what? "....Fine... fine...but don't go fucking blaming me if Naraku is no longer here when your done." She said to him in a calm voice, as she lifted herself up and straightened her rumpled suit.

"Hup!" Bankotsu leapt above the hanyou's sudden abrasive attack as it came at his legs a split second later. "Finally!" He muttered, landing on the opposite side of the hanyou in a 3-point crouch. "I thought you'd never stop talking with that bimbo!" He quickly stood up and pulled a few shrunken from his pocket and sent them whizzing at the hanyou at different intervals and different directions, so no matter where he dodged he'd be struck by at least one.

~*~ 

Up on the top floor Naraku was slowly getting impatient-and was watching the video-cameras, watching what was happening down below with the hanyou. He sighed. Measures would have to be taken now. Standing up he moved to a room off the side of the office-opposite the one where Kagome had been taken by Kanna, and slid a card through a slot and the door slid open. Down inside was dark and dank and lit by neon lights that radiated from a pool of water inside a tube where what looked like a young boy was suspended in animation attached to various wires and lines. He went to a control panel and began pressing some sequence-and the tube began to drain. "...Time to awaken my boy."

As the water began to drain form the tube, his knee length mane of white hair streaked gently at the tips with dusky pink hue tumbled down his shoulders, laying over the white garb of feudal era.. red decorations upon his shoulders and the hem of his billowing sleeves. When the water was completely gone, the glass tube slid up and over him, the bed slowly lifting to an inclination before sending him tumbling out on all fours. With a sudden gasp of air, pools of amber were slowly lulled open and his hand came to rub his forehead...Rub a crescent moon.

Naraku turned to the kneeling child and knelt down to him. "...Listen boy...You know I've told you how your father was killed...well the very person who did it is below us now. I want you to go and bring him to me. Cripple him as much as you please, but I want him alive first. Then I shall let you kill him."

He brought his eyes up towards Naraku and gave a nod, sitting back and sweeping his legs to bend before his body.one of his claws coming around to scratch a circle around him, which then created a hole in which the floor fell; bringing the young youkai with it to the floor below. Jumping to his feet, he reached up and grabbed a blade, and slipped along the back hallways down to where the battle between Bankotsu and Inuyasha was taking place.

Naraku grinned slyly and stood up, shoving his hands into his slacks pockets-and turned to follow the twisty staircase back to his office. He would check on how Kagome was coming along, Kanna should be nearly done with her cleaning at least by now, and then he'd sit back and watch the fun on his camera's till the boy brought the hanyou into his presence.

~*~

Meanwhile, back with the battlers: 

"Don't leave yet Kagura, we need an audience." He chuckled as he bounded back a few paces and slowly drew the fang from its scabbard. Musing out loud really as he pivoted his form, letting one star graze over his chest. "after all...your power was focused in that fan...was it not? Now....these two fuckers don't produce enough youkai that I need...on the other hand you standing there...does." A devilish smile spread over the hanyou's features as he abruptly switched directions, from a retreat to an advance as the sword lashed out through the limited room the hallway provided. He knew the fang wouldn't slash through the scars full length, but where could they go? Enough would be tearing down the hall to leave a limb or more scattered in its wake.

"Ha ha." Kagura scowled and slid off down the opposite hall anyway. "You broke my only form of Youki idiot....and you just boxed yourself in. Smart."

Bankotsu grinned as the kaze no kizu came at him and leaving Jakotsu he leapt to the side where Kagura had jumped down and watched with a bored fascination as the lines of the attack ripped the hall to shreds. "Very good Inuyasha, I commend you." He drawled. "Jakotsu, you're up for the moment." 

Jakotsu had also taken that same side-leap out of the Tetsusaiga's way, and was sitting there half in Indian-style pouting like no one's business until Bankotsu-oo-aniki gave this command- to which he looked up and beamed. "Really?! You mean it?! Sugoi!" An evil and somewhat lecherous smirk crossed his face now and he stood up grabbing his strange extending blade from his back and stepping into the hall-careful to keep within escape range. "I wonder what color you bleed." He giggled softly and with an insane cackle he lifted his blade up and sent it towards the boy's head like a lightning bolt, the blade unwinding to wrap all about the hanyou and his fang-blade. 

"Not too long , you heard the feather-brain over there...I'm on a tight schedule." He muttered as he smashed a fist through a glass fire door, ripping out the red tank of the extinguisher and prying its safety off. The fang swung before him, knowing with the nature of the blade he'd not entirely escape, but the slices and gouges perhaps would be the price for keeping that extinguisher arm free and aimed right for the engrossed Jakotsu...unleashing a cloud of white choking powder rushing in a storm over the fools form. Hoping it would be a distraction enough for him to lunge for the cadaver, and smashing that tank violently into his skull.

The cloud hit him yes, distraction enough to be struck with the tank-no. He rubbed his eyes quickly, cracking one open and leaping back just in time to miss being struck by the extinguisher-finishing wiping his face off he grinned maniacally and yanked on his blade-not only calling it back to him- but striking the boy again in the process as it swerved back into what appeared to be one solid machete again. "Heh heh heh...You're so cute when you're all bloodied up I-nu-ya-sha." He cooed, letting the blade fly out again this time to strike the last of the extinguisher and make it explode-because reading on it warned: **Contents Under Pressure.**

The hanyou really had beat him too it however, when the tank failed to strike he merely dropped it. A clawed hand lightly touching a wound over a shoulder blade, one of many as he sighed softly. "I told you not to take long, here you are just wasting my time now." 

The fang stabbed to the floor before him, shielding off the chain link sword of the cadavers and slicing the top off the tank. Unleashing the pressure suddenly within and sending it speeding lightening for the fools legs. "...I hate to break this to you boy...but your Really not my type." The boy shrugged quickly before prying the fang out of the floor and bolting for the exit. The door flying open to the stairwell with a clatter that shook the structural shaft...a clawed hand probing his pockets for his cell phone, finding it and managing to type a little text message to someone as he fled and beat the powdery white extinguisher against off his black clothes.

Once that door was slammed open and Inuyasha had searched his pockets, an odor, that should have been familiar to him, wafted through the stairwell. Something that mingled his brothers, his brother's mate and a unique scent of someone he'd not seen in forever. 

Suddenly a claw raked up Inuyasha's back, lit heavily with a painful mix of venom that glowed green in the hand it came from and a spark of anti-miko magic which added dusky pink-black swirls to the mass of green. Anyone with any amount human-blood would feel the searing pain and because of it the hanyou was shoved away backwards. When the hand's owner turned around Inuyasha caught sight of a much younger, perhaps slightly kinder, looking face of Sesshoumaru. But it lacked the stripes and held the hint of a different youkai's facial features, probably his mother's.

Jakotsu blinked. "Oooo! No fair! No fair, no fair!!" He smacked the ground as the hanyou bolted and called his blade back. "...I always get interrupted some way or other!"

Bankotsu rolled his eyes and sighed melodramatically, coming into the hall to give his brother a hand up. "Better luck next time then. I'm sure he'll still be around on the morrow. Naroctic doesn't want him dead yet."

"Keh! Keh, keh, keh and double KEH!" The freeze dried homosexual sadist freak snorted taking Bankotsu-oo-aniki's offered hand and hoisting himself up. "...I wish Narcotic'd at least let me watch what he's going to do to Inuyasha...I'd be happier then."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes again. "Mm. Misery loves company doesn't it. Let's go up to him now and see what we can do." He led Jakotsu off down the not destroyed hall and to the elevator, Jakotsu mumbling all the way.

Kagura blinked and frowned as she watched them pass, once they did and were out of sight she slid off to follow the hanyou and his new assailant. She knew Naraku had things up his sleeve again.

~*~

Miroku had arrived just outside the building, and stood waiting for the signal. Suddenly with his pocket ringing telling him that now was the time, he plucked up the metal and plastic doodad.. skirted over and grabbed the lever, slamming it down and knocking out the lights, then moved to grab a sledgehammer, slamming it into the backup generator. After this was accomplished he grabbed a gun and swung around to bust into the building-but stopped short as he was faced up with the rest of the Shichinintai. "Heh, time for a little fun then ne?" 

Rankotsu smiled wanly at the once proclaimed houshi. "Let's rumble then, monk."

"You first."

~*~

And a screamed curse rang out echoing through the halls from the gay-bourei.

Followed by Bankotsu's hand walloping the guy's back and practically yelling. "The stairs Jakotsu! They don't use power!"

"Hmm...Hitorii. My long lost nephew! Of all youkai to run into in here...Naraku must really love sifting through other peoples trash to find any kind of blackmail." Came the hanyou's response from the blood splattered stairs, a moment later with Miroku's handiwork, the building plunged into a blackout, the orange glow of the emergency lights flaring to life for only a few seconds before even they too faded to a useless dim. He knew that wouldn't slow down Hitorii since most youkai had excellent night vision, but that would leave the fools stuck on the lower floors busy for a while. Not to mention stall whatever Naraku had cooking in his labs, one trump card down. He spun onto his feet and bolted up the stairs in a flurry, furiously typing another text message: "Fnd Hitorii, boa-lter" Unknowing that at the moment it wouldn't be received.

Hitorii looked up and around at the plunged darkness, his left hand took hold of the hilt of his blade, his right fingers flexing and glowing, as he ran their very tips along the edge to inject it with anti-miko magic he'd most likely inherited from his late mother, who ever she was. He sped up after the hanyou, quickly closing the gap between them, sweeping the blade up from Inuyasha's left hip to right shoulder on his back again.

Kagura moseying on down the hall after them, gazed about quickly as all the lights went dead-and the back-up generators failed as well. _"Hm. The hanyou has a nice little beginnings to a plan started here..." _She thought, licking her lips she moved off down the hall and entered the stairwell where the two youkai had disappeared up into-listening to the growling and clanks that reverberated slightly from them bounding up. Sadly she knew that in the end Naraku still wouldn't be dead. After all- the freak had killed the greatest miko of their time without fear- what made the hanyou think he'd be able to kill him? Even so, she wished him the best of luck as she followed them up.

~*~

Up in the upper floors, Naraku had been watching the hidden cameras till the power failed. He growled knowing just who to blame. 

"Damn that houshi!" He slammed his fist into his desk as the power died. "I should have disposed of him when I had the bloody chance. Gah! I hope Rankotsu caught him and is maki8ng flamed mince meat of him like I ordered." He sauntered around; pacing his office back and forth a bit. "...Oh well. At least the most important thing that was on the electrical grid is now out and hunting the hanyou-and Kagome need not have electricity for what Kanna is doing." He sighed, rubbed his face and sat in his chair.

~*~

He heard the hair-raising whistle of a blade arching for him, the hanyou desperately turning and lashing out with the fang to parry the incoming blade and drive it down into the metal stairs. The hanyou's gaze now becoming characteristically angry for the first time in a while and he snarled. "Hitorri! I don't have time to play damn it---eh?" Amber hues widened a little as he felt the steps he stood upon lurch down a foot, his gaze drifting down to where the blades met in sparkling destructive beauty. The light that illuminated the blades' tips gouging into the wall and through the bolts that held the suspended stairs in place. He blinked back up to the enraged youkai a moment before plucking off his hat and plopping it over the probably oblivious pup's face before wrenching the fang free and lunging back! The stairs gave another violent shudder before they broke off the wall entirely and slammed down through the shaft below, knocking the rest free as it went. 

Inuyasha didn't stop to watch the accordion style destruction as he scrambled up the remaining stairs and flinching at the threatening creaks and groans. Next stop the top floor, where the Narcotic's scent was the strongest.

Hitorii gave a gasp once as he too felt the floor dropped from under him, his body following with billowing of hair and sleeves, and Inuyasha's hat fluttering off in the velocity. He caught himself and there were sudden sparks as his claws ran along metal, wood and concrete to slow his decent. Suddenly he shot through the blackened air on a cloud of invisible youkai energy to overcome the hanyou, dropping down soundless in front him and cutting him off. His hand extended out with a cloud of poison and dusky pink anti-miko blast, that illuminated his face.

_"Whoops!"_ Kagura yelped in her head as she was forced to yank one of her feathers out and leap upon it when the staircase decided to descend itself-coming down with a monumental crash...She peered over the edge of the feather and wondered wanly if this building had insurance on it, and if so how high it's rates were. She looked back up and made the feather float on higher-keeping her distance but still following. This would prove an interesting show all around.

Meanwhile, just down the hall from where the two youkai were locked in battle, from within the confines of Naraku's office and within the small room off to the side a sudden bone-rattling, ear-splitting, glass-shattering shriek of horror-or something akin to it anyway-rose out of the blackness of the room-followed by articulated words. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR YOU LITTLE WHITE WRETCH?!"

Naraku sighed, and lifted his hand from his face looking up. Oh good- that must mean Kagome was nearly finished Right on time too, the hanyou's scent was edging ever closer to his office. Despite it all he smirked and hoped that Inuyasha liked his little mind-twisting surprise.

The hanyou looked up with that scream a brow lifting just a little but his attention was quickly redirected as he just barely managed to save his eyes from the burning onslaught from Hitorii. He was forced to reel back and bring up that blade up to shield his already seared face from anymore punishment. "Damn you bastard-understand." A hand slipped down into a pocket, and drew something small and green out. "When I tell you 'NO'-" He hissed furiously as he flipped that small item up...a lighter. His fingers moved quick and sparked it's flame and jammed the lock trigger down he threw the lighter straight up above him; the plastic hit the ceiling with a POP and unleashed the napthine in a tiny cloud that only lit in a spark for a moment but it was enough to melt the wick of a sprinkler overhead. The next moment it buzzed to life, unleashing a torrent of water that was quickly fallowed by the next spouting sprinkler...then the next. While the sprinklers systematically began to pop up through the building the hanyou swung the fang out to force the youkai further up the stairs towards the roof, providing Inuyasha just enough time to duck fast through a door and into the deluge-filled halls. "Heh...I always wanted to make a T-rex entrance, now if only I could make the building shudder with each step." He said to himself dryly.

But Hitorii was resilient, and came back at the boy front on, The venom fizzing out and replaced by the thick dusky pink cloud around his right claw which lashed out, grabbing a hold of the blade. His left hand came around and gave the hanyou a fierce sucker punch to his cheek bone. The fingers that were curled around the blade began to saturate it with the anti-miko magic.

Kagura surged upward on her called forth winds, making haste to follow the boy as he made his way out of the empty silo that had once been the stairwell-and finally catching sight of the ace up Naraku's sleeve. A Sesshoumaru look-a-like...How odd.

He staggered back a step with the blow, his head turned to the side as he basked for a moment in the cooling water that showered down from above. Spitting out a little blood he hissed furiously. "Enough." His body pivoted around giving him momentum and room to deliver a swift high kick right into the skull of the young youkai. Carrying on through the velocity he ripped that untransformed sword out of his hand with a violent wrench and buried the blade right into the fools stomach up to the hilt.

Hitorii was thrust back against the wall with that kick and he dropped down to the ground, flat on his stomach to avoid the plunge of the blade into his belly. "You killed my otou, so you're going to take me out as well?!" He rolled forward and grabbed the hanyou's arms, side stepping and thrusting their forms to the side and over the railing to plunge down into the darkness. "Never. My revenge is fulfilled." With that he bounded off down the hall.

~End Chap. 5~


	6. The Last Trap

Amber Eyes

A.N. Well I is coming near the end of this run-out. Probably only one more chapter to go. : ) Same disclaimer applies, unfortunately. Damn what I'd do if I owned them all…

Chapter 6: The Last Trap

Kagura was on the up rise when the hanyou was pushed down into the darkness below. She caught him with her feather as she wafted up-blinking just a little as the Sesshoumaru-look-a-like growled and seemed to vanish off down the hall. A slight frown passed over her face and she flicked her face to the hanyou. "Keh...lucky I was here ne?" She mumbled at him sarcasm dripping in her tone. "Well, I've got you now-best deliver you to where you were headed any how." She grumbled a bit and took off down the hall-coming to a short stop just before the carved double doors that lead into Naraku's darkened office. "First and last stop. Get off."

"Lucky…" Inuyasha mused as he sat his soaking wet form up on the feather and just shook off mid flight. Furry ears popping up as he combed his clawed fingers through that wild tangled mane. His wounds weren't pretty now that he had a chance to peer at them. Burns and slashes, blood clung between his tattered black fine mesh shirt and the pale skin beneath but none were debilitating. He flashed the Wind witch a last nasty smile as he hopped off the feather. "Not like I prefer riding shotgun on one of your hairpieces compared to my blades." He chuckled softly as he heaved the fang up to rest on a shoulder while he strode up to the door and gave it three polite knocks...before booting them wide crashing open, and stalking along in.

"That's nice. But it was faster this way anyway." She muttered hopping off and catching the feather in her thin hands before stepping into the darkened room after him.

The eerie low chuckle that could only belong to the kami-hanyou reverberated through the room when the noise from the busted door calmed down. A dim glow pulsed up from the center of the room then bathing everything in a whitish light that just outlined everything. Slowly enough, he turned from his window vantage point and took the Cuban cigar from his mouth, blowing a big gust of smoke into the room. "At last, the great Inuyasha decides to grace me with his presence. Welcome."

"Spare me the hospitality Naraku…" The hanyou crooned as he strode further into the room, his gaze wandering around briefly before focusing on the kami hanyou himself. "Its about as fresh and inspiring as a crust of month old bread." He flashed him a casual smile as he decided to deliver his little surprise first, hoping to add a good deal of pressure to the Kami hanyou's plan...whatever it was. He knew enough that it concerned the girl whose scent hung in the air, but the boy was determined…enough for his most risky of plots. 

"Your clever hiding out in public monkey-butt, and your influence reaches far but your ability to remain hidden has deteriorated over the centuries. Especially if I can easily find out that the property holders names this buildings under are all false. So are the permits for the "manufacturing " functions within...I thought it was amusing, so much so I passed it along to a friend, who in turn told a few of his 'friends'. I bet the tajiya were able to find out more a lot faster than me on some little computer...not to mention the Media." Inuyasha canted his head and peered towards the window, where indeed there was a lot more curious traffic than normal buzzing around, including several news vans already raising their antennas. "Were probably surrounded, our escape cut off...So…" He purred softly to the kami hanyou as he eased that blade off his shoulder and pointed its wickedly gleaming tip at the fool. "Death…or capture. Those are our choices."

"Kukukuku...My dear fool. You just found me because I wanted you to find me. And you think that Tajiya, especially in this day in age are enough to capture me? Please. I highly doubt any of them would believe I was a youkai." Naraku smirked at the boy's blade tip as it was directed at him and took another drag on his cigar before snubbing it out in the glass ash tray on the desk. "All the same, before you attempt to kill me-Aren't you curious as to what I did with the girl, Kagome-and how it links to you? I'm sure you are. Whatever she told you as for why I kept her was only a tale I told her. The real reason I kept her was because of you. Now, would you like to see before I-mm- I don't know-possibly kill her too?" His smirk lifted up a bit more as he gestured to the door on the side of the room.

A dark brow arched a moment as he flashed the kami hanyou a look that spelled out _"Are you an idiot?"_ Before shaking his head and flashing the fool a smile. "You haven't grown tired of this game yet have you? Grab someone your enemie's care for and hide behind them, or use them to even the odds for you. I hate to say this Naraku but if the girl lives or dies its not of my concern." Whether he meant that or not was simply due to being numb from all the toiled years he'd spent with a broken heart was hard to tell, but this much was obvious...if Naraku wanted an edge here the girl wasn't the means, and the hanyou looked determined about that point as he sunk into a crouch and waved the fang behind him. "...If your done wasting my time, lets begin." He lunged at that moment, swinging the blade in a wide predictable arc to merely distract. Where the fool would be watching to see if his desk would be reduced to kindle or nor was a good enough ruse for the hanyou to release his real payload. The flash of those claws didn't gleam alone, a barrage of crimson flickers barely marked the incoming broad attack of his blood claws that cut the fools only simple.

But as he leapt for Naraku two pairs of arms came out and grabbed him around the waist and shoulder-blades and dragged him back, holding him against the floor, a familiar giggle coming from the one up near his shoulders. "Oh-don't be such a bad boy Inuyasha-chan.…" Jakotsu and Bankotsu had made it up the staircase long before the hanyou and kaze yasha had and had gained permission to be in the room in case something like this happened.

"I better get paid really good for this…" Bankotsu muttered holding the hanyou's waist down.

Naraku just continued to smirk and snorted just a little. He snapped his fingers once and the door on the side of the room slid open. "I'm sure you'll change your tune."

As the door slid open Kanna stepped out and into the dim glow of the room, her chin-length hair bouncing a little as she did. She gave the hanyou a silent look and stepped aside. As she did the soft scent of Bellflowers entered the room and circulated it. Kanna moved her hand from her mirror and beckoned at the doorway with her finger.

Out from the door stepped a lady dressed in a formal miko outfit, with long straight black hair pulled back into an all to familiar pony tail, her bangs stopped just above her eyes and were straight as well, accentuating the brown pools that hung under them. No make-up adorned her face and she stopped just short of crossing the thresh-hold and looked around the room with a sad face-eyes falling on the boy being held back on the floor-barely a whisper of his name crossing her lips.

It was an impressive display , if only the hanyou were a couple hundred years younger. Then he'd not be so hardened of mind and heart and the whole could have worked, as it was the hanyou only gave her a glance before flashing a triumphant gaze to the kami hanyou. He'd not fall for his tricks, he'd make himself not care of the female standing there whispering his name, he'd not care if his freedom ended at the hands of the tajiya who could only be beginning to infiltrate the building now. He'd be happy when the kami hanyou was dead, and at this point any means would be considered. "Your still wasting my time maggot, You should learn to believe my words." He flashed Bankotsu first an annoyed little look before A bare foot planted on the floor, granting him the leverage to swing the other up to slam his knee hard into the side of the fools face.

"Oops!" Bankotsu was forced to attempt to dodge that-though it didn't get to far as the knee hit him in the eye. "Ow! Prick!" He growled, gripping his eye but retaliating right off by slamming the hanyou right smack in the jaw with a facilitated punch-and by facilitated that meant he had on brass knuckles-so at least he broke skin and caused blood even if he didn't break the old hanyou's jaw.

The girl watched this, her sad look becoming one of something unreadable-and she looked down at her clothes and then over at Naraku, gripping the white kasode in her fist, the other hand going right to her hair again. It's amazing what one can do with a lot of straightener and a really good brush! "What was this supposed to accomplish anyway?! I was expecting drugs or something-but instead I get stuffed in ancient clothes? You're cracked."

Naraku's smirk deflated just a little as he watched the hanyou. He shot the girl a side look, and then pointed at her.

Kanna instantly went up to her and did something that caused her mouth to shut, and stood aside again.

As the miko-girl stood struggling with her new mouth covering his smirk returned somewhat. "...Hn...Despite her mouth that gave me a new idea...Kagura-get the Angel's Breath...We'll test it out on Hard-Heart here. To big a dose could kill even him I believe."

The boy was rather busy at the moment as it was, the punch to the jaw did snap his head to the side but more importantly it got Bankotsu's hands off of him. This next move took a little practice for him, after all its a stunt he watched in a movie once but was still inspired. Flattening his palms to the floor he kicked up both legs and curled up into what was about to be a backwards roll. But the anchor that was Jakotsu had to be dealt with also, how? By claming his knees on top the fools head and pulling him into the rolling ball that was how. A turn or two and the hanyou landed on his back, with the bottoms of hit feet propping Jakotsu up off the floor by his stomach....the boy just gave himself enough time to wave bye-bye to the fool before he sent him airborne with a kick that took a direct flight path to a Naraku landing pad.

Naraku just took one side step and let the gay-bourei hit the bullet proof window with a cracking *smack* that probably left a couple of his jaw bones broken. He gazed at the hanyou with a rather bored look plastered on his face-and just barely suppressed a yawn. "I do hope you don't plan on lunging at me next, or better yet- using that Kaze no Kizu thing. And here I thought you would assimilate nicely with the 21st century."

Kagura stepped up beside him then, handing him something and barely suppressing a glower of pure hatred and disdain as she passed it over and fell back to the back of the room for the time being-though after giving the vile over she let her eyes lock on the girl who now precisely mimicked the very reason the hanyou was after Naraku in the first place. Wheels and cogs were turning in her pretty head suddenly.

The boy had rolled up back to his feet, one hand brushing off his black torn garb while his foot kicked the sword back up into his hand. Flashing the kami hanyou a little smirk as he spun the blade around once and leveled its tip. "Well Naraku, as of yet your pansy ass wont fight me toe to toe...what choice do you leave me? but if you want to spice things up…" He'd barely stepped back a few feet when a wall cabinet filled with stuff came flying violently for the Kami hanyou first, then he came lunging at the fool, to cut off his escape and hopefully a little more as he thrust the fang out for him.

Well after his last comment what gave the hanyou the idea that he wasn't ready for that? From his sleeve a tentacle shot old and grabbed the hanyou's arm dragging him in close to the kami-hanyou's body. Naraku's blood red orbs stared right down into the boy's face-ignoring the fact that the blade had caught him in the arm and he was spewing drops of miasma and purple poisoned goop. His other hand held the vile and he smirked down at the boy. "Well, you know what they say…'Can't beat 'em, Join 'em!'" And he made to stab the needle end of the vile into the hanyou's neck while at the same time having other tentacles break loose and grip the boy's body dragging him into his.

This was always down right gross to watch-but quick thinking and the overwhelming desire to maybe finally be free of this ass hole took over the Kaze Yasha's senses and she moved fast as the wind into the side room quickly plowing around and coming up with a suitable weapon. With a quick look and grin she took it back out and shoved it into Kagome's hands-glaring at Inuyasha and Naraku who had failed to notice this act and mentally screaming at him to hold the bastard off a little longer. Then she turned her head to the girl. "Take this and shoot him!"

Things just turned ugly here and would probably grow worse before it got better, the boy was struggling from the get go. His fangs bared and his growling low and menacing as he lose grip of the fang in order to sink his claws wherever he could find purchase, one hand digging into the wall while the other gouged deep claw marks into the floor. What was once an attack dissolved into a tug of war, the hanyou knowing he had to at least wait till the fool made a mistake before he could attack. A risk made the more deeper with the fact that drug was quickly spreading through his veins.

The girl took the weapon looking completely and totally nonplussed...a huge sweat drop formed on her forehead and she looked at Kagura shaking her head quickly in her muteness to infer that she didn't know the first thing about shooting a bow and arrow! She had never taken archery in school-hell- she'd barely been to school.

Kagura glowered at her and bared her fangs. "Damnit girl! You can fucking do it! It's in your blood! Do what Kikyou failed to do five-hundred years ago and this will all end! You are her! I see that now-But stronger! DAMNIT SHOOT HIM!"

She may have said that last part too loud, because now Naraku noticed her. Making a grunt he kept his attention on the hanyou but the noise was all Kanna needed to move

The girl sweat dropped again...Kikyou...? Who the hell was Kikyou? And how was she her reincarnate? It was too chaotic right now for her to think straight- but when she looked up at the boy-something did surge through her and without a second thought she lifted the yumi aimed and fired at Naraku.

All the hanyou felt was heat at this point, as the drugs grip tightened on him his heart began to race faster with every passing moment. And a ball of pain was beginning to form in the pit of his bowels as muscle began to clench Somehow through the violent struggle and squirming he managed to pick up the twang of the girls bow and instinct took over albeit briefly as he allowed his legs to buckle beneath him and send him to the floor on his rump.

Before Kanna was able to wrench the yumi from the girl's hands-before she was able to restrain Kagura with her mirror-there was a sudden blast of bright pink light in the room and a blood-curdling deep scream from over near the window. Pieces of different youkai began to fly out all over the room and litter the floor-oozing and bleeding all over the fine carpets...When the light died down all that was left of Naraku where he had been standing was a bust with half a face. "...You....bitch…" He wheezed.

The girl suddenly gasped realizing what she'd done and dropped the bow to the floor-not realizing that the mute spell was off her as she lifted a hand to her mouth and took a step back completely astonished that that had been her.

Kagura snorted with a frown, leaving the girl in her confusion and stepping up to the decapitated head and the drugged hanyou and snuffed at it. "...Naraku...It's over.-" She looked at the boy::...You wanted to kill him for so long for killing your love-who has been reincarnated obviously and has helped to destroy him-I'll leave you to take the final step and destroy this piece for good.

Well, this was something he wasn't expecting...it took him a moment to grasp the situation as he gazed at the scattered bits that showered the floor. Unaware of his own open mouth gasping, sucking in in breath rapidly as he felt intensify but that didn't slow him down much as he rolled onto his hands and knees and pried the fang from the floor. Managing to suck in and hold a breath before the fang came chopping down right for the remaining deranged shred of talking skull.

Kagura stood back and watched this with a blasé look on her face as the light from the attack illuminated her and the entire room and the last pain filled moaning cry of her "father" was drawn from his half lips. She discerned his last words in that warbling cry were: _"This is far from over..."_ but he disappeared after that. She snorted again as Bankotsu and Jakotsu faded into dusty skeletons and Kanna stood stalk still-dumbfounded maybe? Who knew with that girl. She turned to leave.

Was now that the miko found her voice and cried out. "No-Wait! You're not just going to leave Inuyasha are you?! He's got a poisonous drug in him! He might die!"

The kaze yasha looked at her with an up-lifted lip, more like a sneer than a smirk and shot right back. "That, my dear Green Miko, is your priority now is it not? Now that you've found out what you truly are. You heal him. I'm free and want nothing more then to never lay eyes on him again!"

Heal him....even if it came to her by the time it ever sparked it would be too late, he dragged the blade from its gouge in the floor as he slid himself back against the wall and drew a hand up over his burning chest. Slowly shaking his head and wheezing. "...Just...get out of here....its useless." He gazed at her through it all though, reincarnation....he'd dismissed it before but after the display of the arrow, there wasn't any room left for doubts.

She looked from one youkai to the other-suddenly finding her lip trembling...Before she knew what she was doing she was at the boy's side-pressing her hand to his forehead-checking how fast his temperature was rising. She shot another look at Kagura. "....Kagura...Please...You say I'm a miko-and I'm not sure I can beg to differ after what I just did...but drug over dose is not something one can *heal!* There has to be an antidote!"

Kagura stood immobile for the moment her back to them. Her shoulders hunched and she growled quietly to herself, running her index finger and thumb along the bridge of her nose. "...Fine, fine. Yes...there is...You're little brother, Souta...believe it or not some of his blood will cure the Angel Breath overdose...He's down there…" She pointed to the other side of the room where Naraku had originally kept Hitorii.

The girl blinked. "Sou-ta...?" But she didn't have time to question. "Thank you Kagura.…" She murmured and turned to the boy. "C'mon-up! We gotta get you down there!"

The boy was normally too hot to handle by figurative means, now he was just literally too hot, his forehead felt like he had an intense fever. Only a fever would be preferable to the twisting pain in his gut and the intense throb his chest. Getting him up was possible, but not going to be easy, yet as he began to tremble he slid the fang back into its scabbard and immediately propped the but of the weapon to the floor, bracing him as he pulled his feet under him and tried to get himself up.

The kaze yasha just snuffed again and waved off behind her grabbing Kanna and stalking from the office.

The miko chewed her lip, dragging her fingers through her straightened bangs and whether he anted to let her or not-shoved his arm around her shoulders. "Use my shoulder instead of the blade." She instructed quietly. "It'll work better and quicker, and the quicker we get that shit out of you the better off you'll be. Move with me…" 

He couldn't really protest her actions, nor there course though he did wonder a bit why he bothered. Perhaps there were questions to answer now, questions he could answer in life or ponder with the long existence in the afterlife. but he allowed her to hold him up though he didn't dare grab hold, a spasm like the one that sent him half buckling over with a sharp gasp could sink claw into flesh. But he fallowed step for step.

She didn't have questions right now. None had formulated as of yet in the chaos of the night-and none would for a while. Right now her priority was him. Call it instinct or driven determination but she got him to that other side door and down into the murky room below, taking in stride his spasms and near collapses. Seeing the Angel's Breath at work first hand and overdosed was not pretty at all. Seemed to be a nerve drug.

No nerve drug overdose was ever pretty and at some point down there little walk the hanyou's ability to control his legs was lost to him. He sunk to the floor with a pain filled wheeze of breath, forcing lungs to work when they were instead filling with blood from the monumental blood pressure coming from an accelerated pounding heart. Splotches of color were dancing through his line of vision and the back of his skull was beginning to ache sharply.

"Don't you dare give up on me now damn you!" She cried at him as his legs gave out. "We're almost there!" She stooped down. "I'm not going to let this thing kill you!" She hissed and as she stooped reinforced her words by hoisting him up into her arms and carrying him the rest of the way-blowing her hair from her face as it came undone from her pony-tail. Quickly looking around she spotted a glass tank in which a small boy seemed to be crouched. She grit her teeth. _"There-my little brother..." _She thought...But now was no time to be conflicted by feelings-she brought the boy to the tank-where to her surprise a vile of red liquid hung in suspension in a testing machine and it was labeled with Souta's name. She bit back a gulped gasp and un-hitched it, giving it to Inuyasha. "...Here...Quick…"

Carried of all things, he was glad no one else witnessed this! Not that he cared at the moment feeling himself baking from the inside out...he stared at the glass a moment, not stopping to think before he took the vial and did the only thing that came to mind, drink it though not with out a choke or two. Yet it was then that he wondered, if this worked...he was looking at a while of recovery in a place that would be crawling with snoopy investigators. Not a promising prospect.

As he gulped it down, and Kagome watched with a worried brow hoping against hope that Kagura wasn't screwing them over one final time-the little boy in the glass container moved. She whirled her head around briefly to look into the panes of the glass-but she didn't move from where she sat holding the hanyou up with her arms. Even though her hands itched to touch the glass, and her eyes itched to see if Souta was alright. "Souta-? Souta, is that you? Are you all right baby?!" She called out instead.

The boy in the glass box lifted a scraggily head at the sound of the voice, he turned his face towards where it came from, and his eyes widened. "Onee-chan? Onee-chan-is that you?! Did you finally come to save me?!"

The blood was working-slowly, but it was still taking from Inuyasha's strength trying to keep up with it. His eyes were foggy and he couldn't really see straight. "…Kagome…" He murmured. "Who is that-?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha with another worried look to her face. "He's my little brother-Souta. The one I've told you about…" She told him, trying to keep her voice from cracking as she looked back at Souta. "Yes Souta-kun! It's me!-" But she didn't have a chance to finish her statement, as several some-things all through out the building started to explode and cause the roof, walls and floor to begin to cave in. This must have been Naraku's final trap for them all.

~End chap. 6~


	7. Escape to Realizationor: The Return to I...

Amber Eyes

A.N. Last chapter folks! Still don't own anyone in it. In fact, Takahashi-sensei is the playground, and I'm just playing on her swing set.

Chapter 7: Escape to Realization-

(or: The Return to Innocence)

The lights had gone dead. 

Kagome looked around feeling suddenly frantic. Her brother was in a glass box with no way out and she had a completely drugged and thus virtually useless hanyou wrapped in her arms. Anyone would feel frantic in this situation. The building was creaking beneath her-obviously all to ready to collapse all around them. The explosions kept up all through the place. She gulped, knowing she had to act fast. "Inuyasha-is it alright if I leave you right here for a moment?…I have to try and get Souta out of there!"

Inuyasha made some incomprehensible noise and clutched at her arm in a vice-like grip and whimpered. He half opened his eyes and gazed up at her unseeingly and dazedly he lifted his clawed hand to run across her cheek. He wasn't all there at the moment. Blame it on the Angel's Breath that was still in his system, but he was conscious and really at the moment that's all that counted. "N-no…don't…" He murmured incoherently.

Needless to say the touch caused a gasp and a strange shiver to run down the course of her being. She gulped the gasp back and placed her own hand on his on the pretext of moving it-but found she couldn't bring herself to. Instead she was drawn to looking into his hazy amber eyes. His amber eyes….Eyes that she could so easily get lost in and drown. The world and time seemed to stop right there and then-all around her the building went completely silent, things stopped moving and breaking, time just seemed to slow down a still for the few seconds the hanyou's orbs captivated her every instinct. She could barely think or move even as his orbs blinked at her slowly, and suddenly a fleeting feeling began at the base of her spine-and something in the back of her mind told her she'd do anything to protect this boy-her brother aside for the moment. The moment she thought that a surge of unmistakable power surged through her and when she next looked up she found the glass with her bother shattered and Souta out of it and the three of them in a hollow pink bubble of barrier. "Wh-what?" She hushed confused and surprised.

"Ne-chan!" Souta cried out realizing he was out of the glass, and sitting up weakly to look over at her. "That-was awesome! How'd you do it?!" Despite everything that they'd been through, through the years Souta still had a bubbly personality-a saving grace that made Kagome feel more calm about the explosion she'd just created. 

"I-I don't know Souta -kun…" She murmured, finally letting her hand fall from the hanyou's at last and peering around at the destruction collaborating all around the barrier she'd accidentally created. "But-I think we're safe for now…Though I don't know how long I can hold it up."

Inuyasha whimpered again-and on some deeply seated instinct he still had locked away he nuzzled Kagome's stomach. Souta's blood was working-albeit slowly. His nerves were slowly returning to some feeling though his mind still remained fuzzy. Blearily he murmured one word, or name rather, as his claws trailed off of her skin in the dark, falling to about her midsection. "Kikyou…"

This caused the girl to snap her eyes to the boy resting in her lap and made her stomach twist. She'd forgotten she looked like that Kikyou-woman now-which now that she thought about it, was probably Inuyasha's lost lover that Naraku had killed. She gulped a little-and placed a warming hand on his cheek… "No, no…Inuyasha-I'm-I'm not…Kikyou…" The name seemed to be hard to speak. It got caught in her throat on the way up, and saying it made her feel depressed for some reason…Could it be that in these short few days-she'd fallen in love with him? 

Souta had managed to crawl over to the pair by then, and even in the dark one could see his eyes were baggy and his skin sallow colored. He was still sick. He stopped just before the two of them and put on a false smile. "I'm glad you came Ne-chan…they were awful." He said in his little heart felt voice, and then opted to look down at the boy in the black mesh shirt. "Who is he?"

The hanyou sat still after hearing this admission from Kagome. Slowly he lifted his face to her, his eyes gazing at her foggily again-but this time with more recognition. "Not Kikyou…?…Ka-Kagome..?" 

Kagome bit her lip and nodded at him, it felt awful to see anyone like this and be completely unable to do a blasted thing about it. "Yes…I'm Kagome…" She responded-her eyes being caught again in his. This time she didn't know if she'd be able to look away, they were spellbinding. And he just gazed right back at her. 

Suddenly the machines beside them exploded and fell down, blocking off any chance of escape. Her eyes were ripped from his as she looked up and screamed, instinctively throwing an arm around her little brother dragging him down to the floor with her and hugging Inuyasha tight in a protective manner. 

"Ne-chan!" Souta cried out in fear as he was smothered by her protective arms. "A-are we gonna die?!" He asked muffled as the room began to cave in.

There was a shove at something above on the stairs, though none of the trio below heard it. A voice called out to someone or a few people behind it-again barely heard over the ruckus of the collapsing building. "Down here! I think they're down here!" 

Another voice followed up on that one. "Good! We're coming just hold on!" That one was shouted loudly down into the hole. The stairway was collapsing-so they had to move fast. 

The hanyou's ears caught it all however, despite the crashing noise and cracking supports. One ear twitched a bit-catching the faded voices of the people at the top of the stairs. His mind was still a little foggy, but it was slowly coming back. And he wasn't sure he cared if he was saved from this or not. He had done his revenge at last-Naraku was dead. He could end it all and rest in peace…Couldn't he? 

An arm and a hand clutching at his side reminded him suddenly that he was not there alone. That Kagome was here too…Something inside him warmed up at that thought. Something he hadn't felt in a long time…She wasn't Kikyou…he knew that-but then she was Kikyou, wasn't she? Although she was a different Kikyou, oh so different. She was Kagome. Nevertheless the subtle differences between her and her original-suddenly seemed to make her more enticing than Kikyou ever had been. He growled deep in his gut at this.

Kagome heard his growl, and misinterpreted it. "Don't try to move Inuyasha…" she warned, her voice kind of straining. "I don't know what will happen if we move…and I-I don't want to loose you. Or Souta…" she all but whimpered. 

Inuyasha heard the tone of hopelessness setting into her voice. That made his heart clench tight. He forced her to sit up by sitting up slowly himself, pushing Souta off to one side. 

Souta gasped a little and looked at him. He had no idea who he was-but right now he figured wasn't a good time to ask-the dust was compiling around them in swathes anyway, and he was ready to pass out.

"Inu-" Kagome was about to ask what he thought he was doing, a little fear etched into her features, but failed to even finish saying his name when he opened his eyes right up and stared at her.

The whole place was still coming down around their ears, however he knew that Miroku and that friend of Kagome's, Sango, were on their way. He knew well that he was still drugged and couldn't do much in this state-but the fear and hopelessness he heard in Kagome set him off. He placed his hands on her cheeks and made her look at him and gave her a stern look. "We are not going to die, girl." He said plainly. "Miroku and that other chick you know are trying to get down here. We'll be out before you know it, and be able to get Souta to a doctor. I promise you that." 

The girl's face welled up with impending tears. It was the first time in years that she'd cried, and she didn't quite understand why. She was relieved by his words, not sad, angry or depressed. So why was she on the verge of crying? "H-how do you know?" She sniffed at him, instinctively placing a hand on one of his as it still rested on her cheek.

Inuyasha grinned then, and twitched his ears. "Inu ears. They hear a lot of things ningen ears miss." He said in a low voice. 

She couldn't help but smile at him, her free hand quickly coming up to brush away the salty drops of water. 

And for some reason, that also made his heart jump into his throat. He shouldn't be in love with a girl he'd met on the street no more than two days ago! It didn't matter if she was Kikyou's reincarnation! She was not Kikyou! But-when she looked at him like that…

The roof above them finally gave way. It came crashing down on them like a falling tree in the forest, smashing through Kagome's barrier and causing a cry to go up from under it. It happened just as Miroku reached the bottom floor, so he witnessed the floor caving in before him with the weight of the roof smashing it down. "Shit! Sango! Hurry!" He called back and raced as fast as he could through the debris quickly dissipating into the cloak that had swallowed Kagome up during the Shichinintai battle. 

Sango heard and spoke into a walkie-talkie she'd stolen off of one of the guards they'd busted down below. "Alright! Bring the chopper in! We have three people stuck in the building and in need of assistance right away! Over." 

Kohaku answered back over a fuzzy line. "Read ya loud and clear aneue! We also have Kagura and Kanna in custody for interrogation-just to let you know. Over." 

Sango nodded, though her brother couldn't see it. "Good work. Over." She put the walkie-talkie on her belt and watched the collapsed room anxiously for any sign that Miroku had successfully gotten the fallen trio. 

As if on cue, Miroku billowed up from the hole in the floor-which had ranged all the way to the first floor and now he could tell the building was on it's last legs. It would collapse completely within the next ten minutes if he was any judge of such things. 

The huge purple ghost-like blob came towards Sango and landed beside her. The cloak was pulled back to reveal him kneeling on the floor with a knocked out Kagome in ancient miko clothing, a knocked out Inuyasha whose head was bloodied and had his arm wrapped about Kagome, and a knocked out little boy, who Miroku could only guess was Kagome's little brother Souta. "Mission accomplished Sango…" He muttered to the woman as he put his hand down to find pulses.

"Good work Miroku…I never thought I'd see Kagome-chan again after what happened out in front of the U.G.R." She said, and knelt down to pry the three people apart and make it easier to get them out as the chopper's loud sound came to her ears, and she looked up to see it drop stretcher lines and men come down to help the injured onto them. 

Both she and Miroku helped the men load Kagome, Inuyasha and Souta onto the stretchers-and got themselves out of there just as the building finally completely gave way and crashed into rubble and dust. Sango looked out over the edge of the chopper door and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Sometimes it sucks being an undercover cop and part of the city's Taijiya cooperation…This time it paid off a little." She mumbled mostly to herself, but partly to Miroku too. "We didn't get whoever runs the drug syndicate-but we saved a few lives…I guess it's all in a good days work."

Miroku smiled at her, and came to kneel next to her as she shut the helicopters large sliding door. "I'm glad I found you right after the Shichinintai knocked me to hell. We wouldn't have been here to save them if I hadn't." 

"Mm, it's also a good thing you called me as soon as you realized Inuyasha and Kagome had left your apartment. Otherwise we wouldn't have known and then wouldn't have been able to save them…But we lost the leader of the syndicate. Which is a shame…" She answered back, sitting back.

Miroku grinned again, and placed his hand on her butt, rubbing it affectionately. "We make a good team, you and I." He said confidently.

Sango's eye twitched then, and she looked at him with flames around her face, the impending smack coming right from her left hand. "STOP DOING THAT YOU PERVERTED HOUSHI!" She yelled. 

Miroku was slapped off and now laid back down on the floor of the helicopter looking at the tin roof. He sighed, the red mark on his face standing out like a beacon. "I try, and I try…But-she'll come around eventually…I think she's the one for me!" He mumbled to himself, a small stupid smile spreading over his face. 

Kohaku turned around in his seat up front, leaning over the headrest and staring down at Miroku on the floor. "Oh yea, by the way, Houshi-dude…We also picked up this other kid that seemed to be running around the debris without a cause. Said his name was Hitorii…Know him?"

Miroku blinked and sat up instantly, staring at Kohaku for a minute. "Are you quite sure?" He asked intent. When Kohaku nodded, Miroku's face became serious and contemplative. "So…that's where he disappeared. Naraku had him. All this time…"

"Yeah, well, we've got him now. With Kagura-san and Kanna-san, all locked up in the back of the truck. You can come with to see him if you like." Kohaku offered with a smile. 

Miroku nodded. "Yes, I would. Thank you. I've been searching for him for so long. He's the heir to a legacy and he has to accept it."

Kohaku shrugged and grinned. "All in a days work, bud. Just lay your hands off aneue."

The houshi blinked, looking stunned- "…To find Hitorii-sama again, at such a price…" He sighed and fell back against the tin floor.

"Hmph!" Was all Sango said to that. But she smirked.

~*~

He woke to bright bedazzling lights and a whopper headache. Instantly he shut his eyes tightly against the brightness and put a hand on his head in a reflexive attempt to abate the pain in it, and slowly sat up. He looked around a little. Small room. White. One other bed that appeared occupied. Plastic like curtains. A familiar but annoying stench of sickness. "Oh fuck it! A hospital?!" He suddenly growled out rubbing his forehead. "Why the hell do I need a hospital?!" 

His outburst caused the occupied bed beside him to moan a little. He recognized the sound-and his nose instantly caught on to an even more recently familiar scent that could only belong to "Kagome!" He gasped a bit, and leapt from the mattress landing right next to the other cot and leaning onto it to check the girl over.

She moaned once more, and her lashes fluttered, and lifted up. She blinked a few seconds at the blurry face before her as it slowly came into focus-and she gasped too-but sharper-quickly sitting up and dragging herself up back against the head-board she stared at the boy sitting almost right over her. "I-Inuyasha…" she stuttered slightly looking confused at him.

He just stared back at her for a few minutes. Funny how she looked so pretty with her hair streaming all over her face like that…Almost gave her an air of mystery. Almost. "Are-you ok?" he came back to himself and asked, watching her quietly yet intensely for some unknown reason. 

She blinked and settled down a little, relaxing a bit against the headboard. "Yes, I'm fine I think…just a nasty bump is all…" she looked at him then, and leaned up on her hands and knees then-closing the small distance between them to look him right into those captivating amber eyes. "Are-you ok, Inuyasha?" she asked.

Inuyasha gulped a bit-there those feelings again, the ones he'd felt back in…in…damn, he couldn't remember right now…but they were there-and now that she was looking at him face to face-they were stronger…Kikyou forgotten for now, he instinctively leaned in to her so they were the barest centimeters apart. "Yes…I'm…ok…" he breathed.

"I-I'm-glad…" she said in the barest whisper-having no idea what was going on, just that whatever it was she was so positive it would feel right and oh so good. Much better then what she did with her cliental. "I-I was afraid you weren't going to make it."

"Keh…stupid girl…I'm a hanyou-of course I would…" he murmured softly-his lips brushed hers in the barest of touches-his mind other than that a sudden haze of white and blue.

Kagome would have reciprocated-would have let him do it again and delve deeper into a more promising kiss-if the door to the hospital room hadn't flung itself open just then-causing her to come to her senses and jump back from the euphoric feeling that had been arising in her.

"Kagome-chan! You're awake! I'm so glad!" It was Sango who burst in through the door and went straight for the bed that the girl was sitting in.

Sango was followed shortly by Miroku and he exclaimed as well. "Inuyasha! You're ok! We weren't sure you were going to make it!" and he went to accost the hanyou.

The so said hanyou meanwhile, had lurched away from Kagome, and whirled his face around to the door, redder then a cooked lobster. "Wh-what are you talking about Bouzu?!" He snarled at Miroku as the man came to pat him on the back.

Sango turned from hugging Kagome to death to offer an explanation. "Well when we finally got to you, both you and Kagome were gravely injured and you had a ton of a new narcotic no one's seen before in your blood. So much so that even though your half youkai we weren't sure you'd make it."

Inuyasha gaped at them all. "Hunh?! How-how the hell does she know I'm-that I'm-" 

Miroku pointed at the ears growing from the top of his head, which twitched in response and shook his head with a shrug. "She's an undercover cop that's head of the secret faction of Tajiya in Tokyo. I had to tell her, and she would have found out anyway." 

Kagome stared at Sango her mouth slightly agape. "W-wait just a minute here…Sango-chan-you're an undercover cop?! And you never told me?! Any of us?! We could've been thrown in jail at any given moment!"

Inuyasha couldn't suppress a small growl at Kagome's comment. Her in jail? Not while he was around…He cut himself short though. Whoa-what was he thinking?

Sango nodded at her friend. "Yes, Kohaku too. But we weren't there to arrest you or any of the other strumpets. We really were there to give you guys refuge. I mean, who'd storm a cop-shop searching for their hookers? On top of that, we have been out to get Narcotic for the longest time and we figured that one of you might have something to do with him. Unfortunately we didn't bag him on this run."

"Damn right." Inuyasha grumbled. "I killed him."

"You-what?! You finally got him Inuyasha? That's fabulous! Your revenge is complete now!" Miroku exclaimed again, patting the hanyou on the back.

"Yeah…By the way Miroku, Naraku had Hotorii also…that's where the little shit disappeared off too for so long. Naraku warped his mind into thinking I killed Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha muttered, wishing they'd all just leave. 

"Yes, yes I know he did. Kohaku caught him running amuck without a cause and he's here in the hospital now, in-in the psych ward." Miroku rubbed his head, looking defeated, and sighed.

Sango blinked, and licked her lips-and suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes! Kagome-chan, your brother is here too."

"My-Oh my gods! I forgot about him in all the excitement! Where is he? Is he OK? Is he alive?! Is there anything seriously wrong with him?" She exclaimed all in a rush. 

"Maa, maa Kagome-chan!" Sango laughed a little patting her friend's head. "He's fine…for now. The doctors are sure he'll make a complete recovery. They had to give him a blood transfusion though…seems his blood was tainted with the same narcotic we found in Inuyasha's." 

Kagome stared a little, and gulped, leaning back and looking at the hanyou. "Angel's Breath…" She murmured.

Inuyasha looked back at her, and nodded vaguely. 

"Well-whatever it was, it's out of him now. However no one is sure if there's more of it still around…Sango and Kohaku are going to lead an assault on all the major buildings owned and maintained by Naraku and scope them out for the same stuff. Hopefully it didn't get out to the public. It's got some really nasty potency and after effects. We were lucky to get it out of Inuyasha as fast as we did. It was strong enough to kill him." Miroku said tapping his chin lightly in thought.

"Mm. I agree. Speaking of which, I have to get to headquarters to give my report with Kohaku-so I'll leave you guys to rest up." She smiled and hugged Kagome again and stood up. "Ja."

"Yes, and I had better go check up on Hitorii, world knows what he's doing to the poor doctors…We have to set him straight however if he's to accept his otou's legacy." Miroku nodded at the two of them and also stood up to leave with Sango. 

The pair watched them go out the door, and Kagome blinked a little, relaxing as she turned her head to the hanyou, and tilted it a little. 

But before she could say anything Sango's voice rang out from the hall. "HANDS OFF YOU PERVERT!!" And a sound *whack* followed suit.

Inuyasha groaned a little and rolled his eyes slapping his forehead, and turning to face the girl. "Damn idiot never learns…" He caught her inquisitive look and cocked his own head. "What now?"

She sighed and sat back a little, pressing her lips together. "What was that just now, before they came in?" She asked quietly.

Inuyasha blinked, nonplussed. "What was what just now before they came in?" he inquired right back, a frown inset on his face.

"This…Just now-!" she said again spreading out her arms in an attempt to describe it better. "What were you doing almost-kissing me?" she finally got out, a little exasperated.

The hanyou's face burned a little again, and he looked away, a huge scowl on his face. "…Nothing…it wasn't anything. Just spur of the moment-that's all." he lied through his teeth.

Unfortunately for him, she could tell he was lying. She huffed and crossed her arms, staring him down. "'Spur of the moment' you say. Would you have done that with any girl, say, Sango-chan? Or how about Kagura-san? Would you have with her?" 

He spluttered. "Gods-! No way! Ick!" and caught his err to late. "I-mean-yea…'Course I woulda."

"Hmph! You're an awful liar!" she snapped. "What about Kikyou huh? What about your devotion to her? You survived all these centuries to kill the person who killed her-just for your love for her-don't you think you should remain faithful to her?" It pained her to say that, because she had fallen for him in the scant few days they'd been forced together, but she remained brave and put on a brave face.

He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, looking at her sideways. "Yea, I know that too. But I did my duty to her. He's dead. I can put the past behind me now…" He looked at her full now, biting his tongue finally coming to grips with that. "And-you -are her…in a mixed up sort of way. I didn't sense it before, but when Kagura said so-and when I witnessed your power, I knew it was no lie."

Kagome couldn't say anything to that…She just looked at him with a emotionless gaze. "So-does-that mean-that your in love with me?" she asked, tentatively.

"I-dunno…maybe." he was noncommittal, and scratched the back of his head looking off at the other side of the room. 

"Oh…well, I wasn't expecting you to say you were…I'm not her after all. She was a miko-me-I'm-I'm just a lowly street cat." She smiled, a little though bitterly. "Of course, my brother and I are now free from Narcotic's clutches thanks to you. But even though that's the case, I don't much want to go and work as a dancer…and I don't want to keep this lifestyle either."

He recoiled a little from her crestfallen sound-and looked at her again. "You-don't have to go back to the streets you know. You-and Souta-can live with me…" he offered in a quiet growl leaning up close to her again.

She blinked and shied back against the wall, gazing at him with an arched brow. A small smile crept onto her face. "Really? You mean that?" 

"That…and maybe a bit more…" he almost purred at her, moving up mechanically to nuzzle her face. 

She kept herself from gasping, but barely. He was acting oddly-but then-did she really care? She and Souta were getting off the street-and she had fallen for him, no matter how she hated to admit it. But he was intent on whatever he was doing-and she seemed to know where the movements were taking him. "Whoa-slow down a bit there…it'll cost ya. You know the rules." She grinned at him openly.

He glared up at her with a suddenly way to intense stare. "What?" he growled at her, almost maliciously, warningly. 

"I was kidding, kidding!" she laughed a little, a sweat drop rolling down her cheek. "But-I do have one question to ask before we go about doing any of this. Your not seeing me as Kikyou, right? I'm-not just her replacement?"

The hanyou sat back and stared at her more a disturbed frown crossing his face. "Hell no!" he spat suddenly. "You're nothing like Kikyou! You're loud, obnoxious, annoying, bratty, garish, blunt, not half as pretty, nor as graceful…oh the list goes on."

With each comparison Kagome's face scowled deeper and her eyes screwed up more and more with a hateful, murderous expression. "Wh-why you…"

But-just as she was ready to take a swing and hit him hard over the head with the lamp on the cot-side table he cut her off. "But…that all gives you a personality, and an inner beauty that Kikyou-never possessed…" he looked up at her. "And that-I think is what made me fall for you."

Kagome couldn't find the words to express what she was thinking, let alone feeling now, after that confession. All she could get out was a tiny "Oh…" 

He just grinned a toothy grin at her and swept her up in his arms. "Now, if there are no more stupid questions…"

~*~

Somewhere outside a glint of red eyes glimmered in the dark-gazing in at the new green miko and her new hanyou, a small chuckle escaping the owner. "Kukukuku…"

The End


End file.
